Titans Neo
by Coli Chibi
Summary: Dellisburg City has been gripped by cruel crime and insufficient police forces for years. A new generation of heroes needs to take a stand, but can they do it with no support from the government and a dangerous murderer on the loose? DISCONTINUED.
1. Submission Form

**So, why am I doing this?**

**Because OC stories kick butt!**

**Hiya, folks, I'm Coli Chibi! You've... Well, you probably never heard of me before, I've always stuck around the Super Smash Bros, Pokemon and Zelda fanbases. I do read Titans stories, and I enjoy the show, but some of the heroes (namely Robin, Raven, and Starfire) always bugged me, and could grow on my nerves. I always wondered what it'd be like with different heroes...**

**And, so here I am! This is an OC story, by me! You submit your OCs and I use them to combat evil (or vice versa) and you read along and marvel at my writing skills!**

**Now, I have experience at this, as I made a fanfic in the past called Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Prehistory (which you can read if you're a fan of Mystery Dungeon, though I am not accepting OCs for it anymore) and so I decided to make a Titans one. So, prepare yourselves!**

**If you want to submit an OC, here's what you need to send me!**

**Name:**

**Hero Name: Be creative!**

**Age: (No older than 18, and no younger than 13)**

**Height:**

**Eye Color:**

**Hair Color:**

**Skin Color:**

**Nationality:**

**Civilian Clothing: (If your OC has a secret identity)**

**Superhero Uniform: What does your OC wear to fight crime?**

**Quote: Your OC may need a badarse catchphrase, so think of a quote for them. Give more than one if you need to!**

**Powers and Abilities: Okay, there are two kinds of superheroes: heroes with powers that make them look glorious, and heroes with pwers that are like deformities, making them seem like social outcasts. I prefer the latter, but you can have any powers you want. However, there are rules: First off, I don't want anyone from Krypton, Tamaran, or anyplace like that. I might be a bit unfair here, but no OCs who are related to a main DC universe character! (So, no blue skinned sister of Beast Boy) Secondly, no overly cheap power, like time stopping. If your OC had mind control, there needs to be some kind of limitation on it. If your OC has no powers (like Robin) feel free to give me their abilities. Also, make sure your powers are CONSISTANT. For example, if your OC has ice powers, than don't give them grass powers or fire powers too. I have seen so many Mary Sue OCs who have powers that are not consistant with each other, so please be creative and don't make your OCs perfect little do-gooders.**

**History: How did your OC become a hero and/or villain?**

**Personality: How does your OC act around others? Maybe cold, maybe giddy, maybe depressed? Remember, no one likes a character who is too perfect! You need to have at least two personality flaws, just in case!**

**Flaw: What is your OC's weakness? Personality wise or power wise?**

**Likes: Favorite foods, people, colors, animals, etc.**

**Dislikes: Least favorite foods, people, animals, etc.**

**Love Intrest: You know, because fanfics cannot be made without romance! If your OC has a crush on a character in the show, or if you want your OC to have feelings for another OC, let me know. If your OC likes another OC, I'll ask the guy/girl who submitted the OC if it's okay! Just let me know!**

**Nemesis: Does your OC have an arch nemesis? If she/he does, feel free to submit up to three OCs. (I know three sounds paltry, but please keep in mind that I don't want an OC overload on my hands.)**

**Secrets: What is your OC's deepest secret...? Maybe a secret love? Or a dark past? be sure to spill. If you want it to be a secret from other readers, than you can PM me the secret to keep it safe. (Hey, I'm the writer., folks. I need to know these things!)**

**Pets: (Again, optional)**

**Form of Transportation: Okay, this team is not an official group of heroes; they don't get funded by the city they work in (how else do the Titans get all that fancy equipment? They must get paid! Actually, that kind of makes them mercernaries, now doesn't it...? Oh, and why can't Beast Boy have a moped? They never give a good reason!) so they have to make do with what they have. If an OC has a ride, let me know. **

**Okay, that's all you need to give me! However, here are some other things you need to know:**

**First off, yes I will have OCs in the story that are mine (namely OCs who I have submitted to past stories like X-men Evolution) and I am using them in this story. I will not make any of my OCs Team Leader as I am afraid that I might overshadow your own OCs. If you want your OC to be Team Leader, tell me. I'll compare your character to any others I have collected, and deduce who is the better cantidate.**

**Secondly, I do not write slash or femslash, so don't expect to see any of that. Also, I don't write smut, so none of that!**

**Thirdly, no use of the F word or anything like that. I am keeping this fic T rated.**

**Fourthly, remember, this is for FUN. So sit back and enjoy yourselves. If you like my story, fave it and review so you can keep track of your OC!**

**Fifthly, as I stated above, your OC may NOT be related to a main character. She/he could have known a character from the past or have feelings for them, but you cannot be related to them. I see that so much in other fanfics.**

**Lastly, if you don't have a profile, or if you aren't signed in, and submit an OC, I will NOT accept them. I'm sorry, but this was a problem with my other fanfic. People would submit OCs like that but they would never give me enough info, so I either had to make stuff up, or just not use them at all.**

**So, welcome to Dellisburg, Jump City's neighboring city. The city has long been tormented by crime and criminals that seem to get away everytime. A city that is about to get a much needed clean up.**

**This is Teen Titans Neo.**

**Submit your OCs today!**

**(Dramatic music!)**


	2. It begins

**Okay, here's the first chapter. Whenever I make an OC story, I always put in the first chapter of the story to give everyone an idea on my writing skills and the setting of the story. No idea why no one else seems to do this. Or use my OCs, for that matter...**

**Man, I am a bitter person, aren't I?**

**Oh well, time for kick-arse action! **

* * *

><p>Life's a funny little game. Everyday, something crazy happens. Everyday, someone dies, and someone is born. Someone make sit big, someone loses everything.<p>

And sometimes, someone robs a bank and murders two police officers.

Stacy Rogers, age 17, is the latter.

Being low on money is annoying. There are so many nice things to buy, so many nices places to go, nice boys to meet. But, all of that was closed to her; she had no job, and she didn't want to get a job, despite her parent's nagging her.

So, when her sister, May, had told her about an easy way to get money, she had gone with her sister and a few of her friends.

One armed robbery later, she was begining to regret that.

The blonde's brow was covered in sweat and her eyes were wide as the escape van shot down the midnight street. No one was out at this time of night, leaving the car alone on the streets. They had long escaped from the police that had been chasing after them, thankfully. Getting caught wasn't part of the plan.

"Alright!" shouted Mike, one of May's friends. The teenager pulled off his ski-mask as the van turned into an alley way. "I can't believe we actually pulled it off!"

"Neither can I!" said Ann, a young hispanic woman. "My heart was beating so fast. What a rush!"

"Yeah," Stacy said, forcing a smile. "W-we did it."

"Damn right!" said their driver, a large high-school dropout named Bill. The young man was chewing a cigarette as he drove into the alley, slowing down. "Can't believe I'm gonna say this, but May was right 'bout you, Stacy. You did good."

"I shot two men," the girl replied quietly.

Ann shook her head. "Not a big deal. They're probably okay. Ya know, you probably just winged them."

"Right," said Stacy, eager to convince herself that she hadn't ended two lives, and that she was doing the right thing. "No big deal at all!"

"That's what I like to hear," said Mike, as Bill pulled up to their hideout, an old and abondened warehouse. The garage door slid open, and the van drove inside.

May was waiting for them. The older girl's arms were folded as she the van stopped, her friends and sister getting out. "Well?" she asked.

Ann pulled two large bags out of the back. "Congratulation, Ms. Rogers!" she said, tossing the bags to the older woman's feet. "You just won the jackpot!"

May's eyes lit up as she opened the bag. "Alright!" she said. "The boss'll be happy. Good job everyone. Good job, squirt," she told Stacy.

Stacy frowned as the others started giggling. "Stop calling me squirt," she said. "And we have a boss? Who?"

May rolled her eyes. "Well, seeing as how you are part of the gang now, I might as well tell you. Calvin Adamson."

Stacy blinked. "Crazy Calvin? Isn't he a used car salesman?"

"Yup," Mike said. "We take the money, and he gives us a new ride everytime we pull a job! In return, he gets a nice forty percent. Good deal, huh?"

"There must be millions in here!" squealed May as she looked through the money. "Alright, let's get rid of the van. The boss has a couple of guys on the way to pick up his share."

"Right," the Mike said. "I'll go get the tow-truck. You want me to dump it in the river again?"

May rolled her eyes. "Where else would you dump it, stupid?"

Mike glared. "I'm goin' I'm goin'!" he said, walking off.

Ann grinned as she shuffled through the money with the others. "What to buy, what to buy?" she asked herself.

"I'm thinkin' about a new bike," said Bill, who had wanted a new motercycle for sometime now. "Pick up chicks with it."

May grinned. "Is that all? I'm going on one hell of a shopping spree!"

"I think I'll join you on that one!" Ann said. "What about you, Stacy?"

Stacy blinked. "M-me? Uh... I don't..."

May rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Stacy. You've wanted to go to Club Spice for ages, and now you have the money to go, and get a nice outfit while you're at it."

"Of course, right!" said Stacy. Club Spice was the most popular club in town. She'd do almost anything to get in.

She had never imagined that she would have to kill two men to get in.

"What the-? ACK!"

Mike's voice startled Stacy. Ann, Mike, and May all pulled their guns out. Stacy slowly did the same. "Hey! Mike!" shouted May. "You okay?"

There was no answer.

"Mike!" shouted May. "Answer me, damnit!"

The sound of glass breaking was her answer. They all whirled around to see Mike, lying bloody and bruised on the now shattered window-shield of their van. His entire face was bruised, and his right arm was bent at a weird angle, and Stacy didn't think he was just double jointed.

"Who's there!" roared May, firing off a warning shot. "Come out, you coward!"

A raspy, hissing voice answered them. "Oh, yeah. Let me just come out so you can shoot me. Good idea."

"I said come out!" May shouted, firing again. "No one messes with us! NO ONE!"

"May, chill!" said Ann nervously. Her eyes were scanning the dark corners of the warehouse. She had never before noticed how dark is was.

"Get out here, you rat bastard!" ordered Bill. "We'll shoot up this whole place if we have to!"

"Oh, I'm sure you will. You're punks. The only reason you commit crimes is because you're too stupid to think things through and too lazy to get a job. Essentially, you're one of the many things in this world that I _hate._" The voice's hissing tone was cold and unforgiving.

May rolled her eyes. "What the hell do you want?" she asked.

"Justice," the voice replied simply. "Tonight, your gang _killed _two police officers. Officers with wives, and children."

Stacy felt her heart stop. _Families? Kids? Wives? Oh my God..._

"So you're a bleeding heart," May said, her eyes searching. "Oh, great. So what? Two guys died. Guys die every day."

"Death is something natural. It shouldn't be brought to others, especially by people like _you!_" the voice said. The warehouse was so echoey that they couldn't tell where it was coming from. "Those men had so much to live for. What do you think their families will think? How they'll feel? Did you think about this at all?"

"Shut up!" shouted May. "I don't need to hear this crap... Besides," she added. "Stacy was the one who shot them!"

"Hey!" Stacy said. "I mean... I didn't mean to..."

"'I didn't mean to' doesn't change the fact that two men are dead, at the hands of you disgusting _things._"

"Shut up!" shouted May again. "If you're done patronizing us, then beat it!"

"Oh, I'm not done!" the voice shouted. The harsh, angry tones made Stacy cringe.

"Who the hell are you!" shouted May. "Are supposed to be my little angel? The little voice that tells me that I'm doing something wrong?"

"Oh, no," said the voice. "I'm certainly no angel. Angels tell what is wrong and right. _My_ job involves _kicking the snot_ out of you until you cry for a cell!"

"Big talk from the guy who's too afraid to show himself!" shouted Mike.

"Oh, alright. Since you're asking for it..."

A figure emerged from the corner.

Stacy froze, staring at the creature.

It wasn't a man. It was more of an animal in appearence. Green, scaly skin covered his skin. A pair of yellow eyes glared at them, narrowed into slits. His body was clad in a black trenchcoat. He stepped foward, hissing with a forked tongue.

"What is that?" Stacy finally said.

May aimed her gun, her mouth curved into a sneer. "A freak," she said, firing her gun, along with Bill and Ann.

The snake man weaved around the bullets like a feather, dodging them like they weren't even there.

"Keep shooting!" shouted Ann. "Kill that thing!"

The terrifying bangs of gunfire continued, until the sound was replaced with clicking.

"Damn it!" shouted Bill, throwing his gun down. "Empty!"

May glared at the snake man, who was standing there, his hands in his pockets, staring at them as if he was waiting for them to do something that could actually be threatening to him. "We don't need guns!" May screamed, reaching into her pocket and pulling a knife. "Kill that ugly thing!" she shouted as she charged at the snake man.

Bill and Ann followed suit while Stacy stood there paralyzed. She still had her own gun, but she hadn't had the courage to use it. The snake man was like a demon. She could barely breathe as he patiently waited for her sister and her friend to attack him.

Bill roared as he threw a punch at the snake man. The reptile bended back, the punch sailing over him. His back recoiled like a spring, and he punched Bill across the face, breaking the boy's nose. Bill cried out in pain and clutched his face.

The snake man turned, grabbing Ann's hand. The girl had tried to stab the snake man while his back was turned. The hispanic's dark eyes glared at him. "You wouldn't hit a girl, would you?" she asked, as her other hand reached into her pocket for her second knife. Before she could, the snake man squeezed her hand. Hard. Ann cried as she felt her wrist break, but was cut off when the snake man grabbed the back of her head and smashed her head first into his knee, knocking her out.

May gave a scream of rage as she tackled the snake man, ready to stab him. He shrugged her off like she was nothing, stepping on her hand, causing her to release her knife. The girl snarled and broke free, getting up quickly and launching herself at the reptile, kicking at him.

The snake man caught her leg and bent it, breaking it. May screamed in pain as she collapsed to the ground, her pained screams cut off by a swift kick to the face, knocking her out.

Bill charged at the reptile, wrapping his arms around the creature's body. "Feeling tired, freak?" he spat.

The snake easily broke free. "No. How about you?" Before Bill could answer, the snake had pulled a short metal rod from his coat. He pressed a button and the stick grew to a five foot staff. The snake man swung the stick between Bill's legs, causing him to collapse to his knees, crying out in pain. Before he could recover, the metal rod shot across his face, knocking him out.

The snake man frowned, turning to Stacy, who was shivering in a corner. He began to walk to her.

"No!" she shouted. "Oh, God, no! Stay back!" she ordered, pulling her gun. "I'll... I'll... Oh, God, what are you? Are you a demon?" Her eyes were filled with tears. "Has God sent you to punish me? Oh... Oh!" she cried. "Please... Don't kill me!" She tossed the gun aside and put her hands in the air. "Don't kill me! Please!"

The snake man was now right in front of her. His narrow eyes stared down at her, piercing her soul.

The girl burst into sobs. "Don't kill me now! Please, I beg you! Don't let me die with two murders on my hands!" she sobbed. "I'll confess! I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make up for it! Just please give me a chance!" Her eyes were wide. "GIVE ME A CHANCE!" she wailed, closing her eyes.

The snake man tapped a button on his staff. It clicked as it returned to its original size. He slipped it into his coat. "Okay."

The girl opened her teary eyes. The snake man leaned down and stared into her eyes. "I'm choosing to believe you. I'm going to call the police," he hissed. "You're going to tell them what you did, and you will tell me who you're working for."

Stacy nodded. "Calvin Adamson," she said. "May said we were working for Calvin Adamson."

The snake man nodded. "The car salesman," he said. "I'll have to pay him a visit." He stood up and pulled a cell-phone from his coat. He flipped it open and dialed 9-1-1. "Hello?" he said, after he waited for the operator to connect him to the police station. "Yes, I heard about a robbery and murder? The criminals got away in a van, correct? I saw a van that seemed to match your description. Yes, it drove into a warehouse near the port. Warehouse number 36 I believe. Yes? Alright? Okay, thank you, ma'am. You're welcome, I'm glad I could help." He put the phone back into his coat. "They'll be here in a few minutes," he said. He gestured to her gun. "Make sure to give that to them. It will provide valuble evidence for the murder case."

Stacy looked away. "I... I will."

The snake reached into his coat, searching for something. "I just wanted to get into a club," Stacy said. "I just wanted to be popular. To have more friends." Her eyes were wet. "And I... killed them..."

"We all make mistakes," the reptile said as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

"But this wasn't a mistake!" shouted Stacy. "This was... I killed two men, with families. I'm a monster," she said, as the snake cuffed her.

"Monsters don't feel remorse," the reptile said, standing up. "There's hope for you, ma'am. A second chance." He turned away. "Do me a favor and don't throw it away."

Stacy bowed her head as the snake ran out the door of the warehouse. "I won't," she promised as she heard sirens in the distance."

* * *

><p>The newspaper the next day had an interesting front page story:<p>

**Robbers stopped by mysterious fighter**

At midnight, last night, a group of four teenagers robbed a small bank near the port. Though two police officers were on the scene the robbers got away. Tragically, the two officers, Lt. Andy Danes and Cpt. Alex Mercy, were shot and killed by one of the robbers, Stacy Rogers. However, an anonomys tipper called and said that he had seen the van drive into Warehouse 36 at the docks. When authorities arrived at the scene, all of the robbers, and their leader, were found at the warehouse. Most of them were tied up and had suffered from broken bones and in one case a concussion. Stacy Rogers, the shooter, was the only one unscathed. She confessed to the crime and told the police that Calvin Adamson, a used car dealer, had hired them and that he provided them with new cars whenever they had a job. The gang has been convicted of several crimes now that they have been identified. Stacy Rogers, due to her confession and pleading guilty, was given a more lenient sentance by the court: 2 years of juvenile hall, and two hundred hours of community service. She has written apologies to the families of her victims, stating, "I could work for a million years and still would not be able to earn your forgiveness. My own greed and cowardice has led me down this path. I will not ask you to forgive me, but I will apoligize. When I am released, I swear by heaven that I will do everything I can to help the world become a better place. May God have mercy on my soul." The families of the Danes and Mercy have agreed to forgive the young lady for what she had done, sending her a letter that accepted her apology. The other members of the gang, May Rogers (Stacy's older sister) Bill Banns, Anna Jose', and Mike Renod, have been released from the hospitol, each one suffering from a broken bone. They have been convicted of hit and run, armed robbery, and even murder. Unlike Stacy, May is unrepentant, and is expecting to spend twenty years in prison. When questioned about who had attacked them and tied them up, the gang had answered that it was, "some kind of freak." When Stacy was questioned, she answered, "an angel." More on this story, and the supposed vigilante on page 3.

Staring down at the newspaper, the snake man smiled.

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><p><strong>And there's the first part! Hope you liked it! If you want to join in, see the OC submission form at the beginning!<strong>

**Til' next time!**


	3. The kitty and the shadow

**Here's chapter three! Special thanks to El' Caliente and SparklyAngel7 for their OCs!**

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><p>Calvin "Crazy Calvin" Adamson was not a moral man. I mean, yeah, he was a used car salesman, but still, he was not as moral as the usual used car salesman. He looked like your sterotypical sleezebag: yellow checkered suit, greased back brown hair, long nose, the works. But if you looked close enough, you could see that glimmer of unsatisfiable greed lying in his pupils. That little thing that made you dislike the guy from the very start.<p>

The man growled as he slid the curtains of his motel room open, just a little bit. No cops. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Yesterday's robbery hadn't gone as planned. Namely, his robbers were caught by some maniac and that little brat Rogers had ratted him out! The car salesman seethed in rage. The girl was getting a lenient sentence for armed robbery and two murders; he, the master planner behind it all, would not be so lucky. He'd probably get fifty years. Maybe more.

"Damn it..." he growled, peering out the windows again. He was thankful that he knew the motel's manager; old Robby had hidden many a crook in his day. He got a nice second floor room to hide in until things cooled over, and Robby got a new kidney. A good deal, all thing's considered.

Calvin pulled out his cell, typing in a few buttons. "Bob, Lou," he said. "You there?"

"We're here, boss," the gravelly tone of Bob replied.

"How things look down there?" asked Calvin. Bob and Lou, his bodyguards, were on lookout downstairs. Just in case.

"As clear as when you called five minutes ago, boss," replied Bob.

Calvin grit his teeth. "Don't be smart with me!" he shouted. "You work for me, not the other way around! You will give me the respect I deserve or else!"

"Or else what?" asked Bob.

Calvin froze. Bob was making a good point, as hard as it was to believe; if he fired his goons, he'd be defenseless. All he would have was the pistol that he was hiding in his pocket. "Or else... You won't get that big raise I'm going to give both of you!" he said, not meaning a word. "Keep up the good work!"

"You got it, boss," said Bob, now sounding much more enthusiastic.

"Idiot," moaned Calvin, falling back on his cheap matress. The bed below buckled and gave out. Calvin swore as he pulled himself off the smashed remains of the bed. "Damn it!" he swore again, as he walked over to the dirty window and peered out it again. "That Rogers brat... I'll get her for this! I swear it!"

"It's so hard to find good help these days, isn't it?" asked a voice.

Calvin froze. He whirled around to see a figure standing in his open doorway. "Who the hell are you?" he asked. "How did you get in here?"

The figure's black gloved hand held up a key card. "Good old Robby owes me a favor or two," the other man hissed. "I heard you where in a spot of trouble and I came to visit!"

Calvin growled. "How did you get past Bob and Lou!" he shouted.

"They were looking for cops, not for... Well, me." The figure's voice sounded demeaning and impatient, like a parent who was explaining why a child couldn't have a new toy.

Calvin pulled his pistol. "Who the hell are-?" he began, only to have a shotgun barrel shoved into his throat. He got a good sight as his intruder. A black trench coat and fedora covered his body, and his face was shielded with a hideous, skull shaped mask. Calvin's face was as white as snow. He dropped his gun.

"Smart move," the figure said, pulling his gun away. "Now, with that out of the way, I'll introduce myself." The figure chuckled. "You can call me Judgement."

"Judgement? That the best you can come up with? What, you some kinda kidnapper?" Calvin said, his bravery reappearing when the shotgun was put away.

"Cute," the Judgement growled. "And I really hate cute. I'm called Judgement because I'm everything you fear in this world, and at the same time, I don't exist. So, let's cut to the chase, hmm? I want to know where those kiddies got their nasty little guns. Want to share with me?"

Calvin shook his head. "I don't know," he said.

The shotgun reappeared.

Calvin pressed himself against the window, as if the minor distance would save him. "Waitaminute," he said in a blurr. "Put that thing away! I don't like doing business at gunpoint!"

"Would you like doing business at your own funeral?" asked Judgement. "I am many things, Mr. Adamson, but I am NOT patient!"

"Okay, okay!" Calvin said. "Look, man, I'll talk, okay? Just promise you won't shoot me!"

Judgement nodded. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

"Alright," Calvin said, out of breath. "I'll talk, okay?"

Judgment chuckled. "Smart move! You're not as hopelessly stupid as you look! Now talk!"

"Okay..." Calvin took a breath. "Kyo Tamashi. She's the wife of Ron Tamashi. He's a Japanese-American, and he owns a gunstore called Tamashi's Armory. She sneaks some guns out for me when her man isn't looking. He's usually too drunk to notice. She has a drug addiction, and she always needs money to fund it."

Judgement nodded. "I see," he said. "Well, Mrs. Tamashi is your supplier, hmm? I'll have to pay her a visit!"

Calvin nodded. "Okay, man, no prob. You're not gonna shoot me, right? I did what you asked!"

Judgement nodded. "Oh, of course!" he said. "I'd never go back on my word, Mr. Adamson! Not all of us are car dealers."

Calvin quickly nodded. "Yeah, yeah! Car dealers... Awful bunch! Never keep their promises!"

Judgement smiled under his mask. "I thank you for your help, Mr. Adamson. I'll miss you very much."

Adamson blinked. "Wha-?"

Judgment kicked the man hard in the chest, smashing him through the window. Adamson screamed as he fell, only for it to be cut off by the cracking sound as the car dealer's body hit the pavement. Judgement looked out the window, staring down at the man's broken corpse, sighing in mock sympathy. "You had so much to live for!" he said, before turning away, giggling madly.

Time to go see Mrs. Tamashi.

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><p>The blood stained the pavement where the now late Calvin Adamson lay, his eyes opening in fear and shock in his last moments. His body had not been disturbed. It was late at night, and the two dumb gorillas at the door were too absorbed in their own stupidity to notice that their boss - and paycheck - had just gone out the window. Literally.<p>

So, no one was there when the snake man snuck out of the shadows, running towards the corpse. He examined the body with a sigh. "Dead," he whispered to himself. "Damn it..."

He looked up to Adamson's window. It was broken wide open. The snake man frowned. Had Adamson killed himself? Was he too afraid to face the consequences of his actions? The snake man groaned. He had been hoping to discover who had supplied weapons to the teenagers. Now he was at a dead end.

The snake man turned away from Adamson's body, groaning. He wasn't sad that Adamson had died; he was scum. But he was scum with answers that he needed.

A police scanner on his belt began ringing. "Officer down at thirty four, Ivanson road. Robbery in progress at thrity four, Ivanson road. Back up requested!"

Sighing, he vanished into the night once more.

* * *

><p>Dellisburg City had a lot of museums. Museums for history, museums for art, museums for animals, you name it. However, their art museum had a particularly beautiful piece.<p>

Last week, a piece known as the Apple of Aphrodite had arrived. The statue decipted the famous Greek goddes, holding the infamous golden apple. The statue itself was solid 23 carot gold, and it's age made it all the more valuable.

So valuable, that one might even break into the museum at night to steal.

Blake Sander, alias the Shadowmaster grinned evilly as he snuck through the now dark museum. Not that it bothered him. He liked the dark, and sneaking, even if he didn't have to.

The young man was little over seventeen, and he already had over a hundred crimes under his belt. He was known amongst other villains as a gentleman, and a criminal of class. He wore a nice suit for every robbery, complete with mask (though he didn't really have anything to hide) and his red hair was neatly combed. He was as polite as he could be (especially around women) and he remained polite, even in defeat. With that said, he was also a sadist, a psychopath, and a narcisisst. Not a great combination.

The young man snickered as he tip-toed through the halls, unseen by the half asleep security officers that lay around the place like they were on vacation. He slunk into the, almost stepping on one of the typical laser sensors. "Oh, reeeeaaaallll original," he snickered, cracking his knuckles. "Whatever shall I do?"

Spotting the sensors on the wall, he pointed his index finger at the closest one. A bolt of darkness shot from his finger-tips, coating the sensor in a black spot. Shadow energy, the young man's speciality. He wasn't called Shadowmaster for nothing.

He giggled to himself as he launched more blots at the sensors, coating them and rendering them useless. Afterwards, he skipped merrily through the room, towards his target. The beautiful statue lay in wait, staring straight ahead with unseeing eyes.

"Well, hello there, ma'am!" he said, examining the glass case that contained the gold statue. "Who would put such a lovely lady like you in a jail like this. Such a shame." He smirked. "Have no fear; your knight has arrived, milady. I shall save you!"

"Save her?" a female voice asked. "You couldn't save toilet paper, Shadowmaster."

The Shadowmaster froze. "Well, well!" he said, whirling around and glaring at the young woman, sitting in the corner. "Look what the _cat_ dragged in!"

The woman rolled her eyes. "Never heard that one before," she said sarcastically.

The Shadowmaster chuckled. "It's good to see you too, Ms. Falicity! It's been too long."

"Not long enough," Falicity snarled. The girl wore a dark magenta jumpsuit with a half mask, complete with cat ears. "So, are we gonna have to do this the easy way or the hard way?" she asked.

Shadowmaster smirked. "I'll take the latter," he said, before turning around and smashing the glass casing that surrounded the statue. Alarms began to whine as the thief took off.

"You son of a bitch," snarled Falicity, as she took off after him.

The cat girl shot after Shadowmaster, who was running through the halls. His running was in vain; Falicity had the speed of a cheetah, and she easily caught him, tackling him and causing him to lose his grip of the statue which went sailing through the air.

"Oh!" Shadowmaster said. "Excuse me!" he said as he twisted under Falacity, kicking her in the gut. He tore out from her grabbed the statue. "Ah, good. Not scratched at all. That could decrease it's value." Before he could say anything else, Falicity had kicked his legs out from under him, sending him to the floor.

The cat girl smirked as the caught the statue. "Gotcha."

"You there! Freeze!"

Falicity froze. Two security guards, alerted by the alarms, stood at the ready, pistols drawn. "Hands in the air!" the first ordered.

_Great_, Falicity thought. _Rent-a-cops_. "You're making a mistake!" she said. "I was saving this statue! He's the one who-!" She turned around to see that Shadowmaster was gone. "Aw, damn it," she muttered, as she ran down the hallway, ignoring the cops and dodging their bullets.

As she tore down the hallway, a foot extended from the darkness, tripping her and sending her crashing to the floor. "I'll take that!" Shadowmaster cackled as grabbed the statue once more, shoving it into a black bag. "You'd better step up your game!" he called as he ran to the next gallery. "Otherwise we might be tripping each other all night!"

As much as she hated to admit it, Falicity knew Shadowmaster was actually right. She had to take him out as soon as possible if she wanted to get out of this in one piece. Not that she couldn't handle a few security guards. She grit her teeth as she chased after the thief through the next gallery.

Shadowmaster smirked as he came to a stop. "Oh, lookie here!" he said, picking up an expensive vase. "Look at all the details on this! Quite a fine piece of art." He tossed it in the air. "Heads up!"

Falicity blinked. Panicking, she caught it and placed it back on its pedestal, only for Shadowmaster to hurl two more at her. "Stop that!" she demanded, as the art flew at her.

"Only trying to enrich your museum experience!" Shadowmaster said, knocking one final piece over before turning tail and running. "Farewell!" he sang, smashing a window with his boot (resulting in even more alarms) and leaping out the window.

Falicity grabbed the last vase and placed it back onto its spot. "Thank goodness," she breathed.

"There she is! Get her!"

Two security guards had appeared at the door. Both fired at her. Both shots missed, but one actually hit the vase she had saved.

"Are you kidding me?" shouted Falicity, as she leaped out the window. "I'm gonna kill you, Shadowmaster!" she shouted, running through the parking lot. The super-heroine, her eyes well adjusted to see in the dark, searched for any sign of the thief, only to narrowly evade being hit by Shadowmaster's escape car.

"Oh, no you don't!" Falicity shouted as she got down on all fours, chasing after the car. "You're not getting away so easily!" she shouted.

"You think that was easy?" shouted Shadowmaster from the car's open window.

Falicity growled as she jumped and grabbed onto the back of Shadowmaster's black escape car. She pulled herself on top of the trunk and began to crawl on the roof.

"Hey, you're scratching my paint!" Shadowmaster shouted, though he clearly didn't care. "This car is a rental! And by rental, I mean I stole it."

"Yeah," said Falicity said, crawling into the roof. "I figured as much." Before she could get any farther, Shadowmaster hit the brakes. Falicity was thrown to the hood of the car, struggling to hold onto it as Shadowmaster began to drive towards the docks, struggling to see around the cat girl as he weaved around traffic. "Are you insane?" she screamed at the young man at the wheel.

Shadowmaster smiled in response, as he narrowly missed running into an elderly couple who were crossing the street, almost hitting them and leaving them white as snow.

"Right. Stupid question," said Falicia as she pulled herself onto the roof, keeping herself on the car with her claws. She reached down to the window on the passenger's side, smashing it with her fist. She got off the roof and held on to the window, struggling to pull herself. Lying on the passenger's seat was the black bag, the statue of Aphrodite poking out of it.

"I don't normally take hitch-hikers," said Shadowmaster, as he swatted at her with his right hand, grabbing the bag. Falicia's hand grabbed the bag's handle and the two began a little tug of war match. Shadowmaster frowned. Falicia was stronger than he was, and he knew it. However, he had something over her (and it wasn't his good looks). It was his brain.

Grinning, he tilted the car's wheel, driving onto the sidewalk of the street they were on. He swerved to the right, smashing the car girl against the walls of the buildings he past. Falicia screamed as the friction of the bricks tore her costume and cut her back. She struggled to hold on, but when Shadowmaster pulled away from the wall, before swerving back towards it, she cried out in frustration and leaped off the car, collapsing to the pavement. Super strength or not, that _hurt_.

Shadowmaster smiled almost sadly as he drove off. "A pity..." he said, leaving the cat girl in the dust. "I must apoligize, Ms. Falicty. It's a shame a lady with your skills must be my enemy. Oh well, at least I still have you, Ms. Aphro..." His words were cut off when he saw that his bag was empty.

Shadowmaster slammed the brakes and turned the car around. "Why you clever little kitty!" he shouted, as he drove back to the spot where she had hit the street. Of course, being a superhero, she was already gone, the priceless antique with her.

Shadowmaster forced a grin. "Touche, pussy cat." Hearing sirens in the distance, he drove off. "Oh, boy. Ventura is going to be _mad! _Ehehehehe!"

* * *

><p><em>That was not fun<em>, though Falicity as she returned to her miniscule apartment. _That was not fun at all._

The cat heroine slunk into her apart, pulling off her mask and allowing her blonde hair to fall down over her shoulders. She slunk off to the bathroom, pulling off her costume searching for the bandages. Her back was bleeding all over the floor, thanks to that idiot Shadowmaster. Every time he and she tangled, she ended up getting hurt. Thankfull, she healed fast.

Growling as she stumbled out of the bathroom, dressed in her pajamas, Falicity grabbed her mail that lied on the doormat, shuffling through it. "Bills, bills, bills, my newspaper... A pinkslip? Aw, damn it!"

She slowly collapsed onto her beaten and raggy old sofa, flipping open her newspaper and searching through the help wanted adds. Being a superhero was a pain in the butt. especially when you had a job you were always late for. Being a superhero was an even bigger pain when everyone thought you were comitting crimes. Sure, she had returned the statue (though she was tempted to keep it) but it was still a pain to let go of millions of dollars.

Sighing, her eyes scanned through the paper, while her cat, Ruby, crawled onto her lap. The teenager petted the cat, smiling. "Heya, girl," she said. "Been a busy day for you, too, right?"

The cat purred and rubbed her head against her owner's stomach.

"Good kitty," she said, rubbing the feline's ear. "Man, what a night..." she said, scanning the paper again, until one add caught her eye: "Wanted: Maid. Must have experience in the field. See Mr. Arthur Vance at his estate, 1774, Vance Street. For more information call 374-323-2100."

"Arthur Vance?" Falicty muttered to her cat. "The billionare? Well, he should pay well. I'll have to call now, huh, Ruby?"

The cat meowed in response, closing her eyes.

Falicty sighed as she drifted off as well. Being a maid couldn't be too hard. She simply lacked that 'experience' thing.

* * *

><p>"WHADDYA MEAN YOU DIDN'T GET THE STATUE!"<p>

Shadowmaster ducked under a chair that had been thrown at him. "I mean 'I did not take the statue and my plan was ruined'. Sheesh, is that so hard to figure out?"

He ducked under another chair.

Ventura, his partner, was a young woman. She was Australian. She was a pyrotechnic. And she was angry. Not a good combanation. The auburn haired villainess glared at her partner angrily at their hideout, the basement of a warehouse. The two had been holed up in there for almost a month, dodging the inept police and Falicity, Shadowmaster's nemesis. Of course, he never killed her, but that was the problem.

"Why do I have to keep explaining this to you!" she shouted, smoke literally pouring out of her ears. "Don't just drive away! Stay and actually FINISH the job! We wouldn't have to deal with that stupid cat if you weren't such a big MORON!"

Shadowmaster rolled his eyes as he walked into his changing room. "Kil Falicity? But she's so entertaining! Oh, if only she didn't have those 'moral' things. She'd be so much more enjoyable if she'd just dump her silly little ideas on 'truth, justice, and the American way'."

"That's Superman's work ethics, dipstick!" shouted Ventura, a fireball forming in her hand. "That was an easy simple job for you, and you just botched it!"

"If the job was so simple, why didn't you come?" asked Shadowmaster from behind the door.

Ventura scowled. "You know how much I hate sneaking!" she said. "If I'm going to steal something, I wanna make a big entrance!"

Shadowmaster opened the door, dressed in his blue night-clothes. "Well," he said. "Don't be so mad, dear. I brought back something for you!" He held up a... newspaper.

Ventura snarled. "A newspaper?" she growled, the fireball growing larger. "Why the hell would I want a-!"

Shadowmaster cut her off by shoving the paper in her face. "Look at what is says!" he cackled. "Page four."

Ventura raised an eyebrow and flipped through the paper. "'The Star of Atlantis arrives in Jump City. This friday, a large diamond, found on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. The stone weighs in at forty pounds, and is easily worth over ten billion dollars.' Oh, boy, a big diamond! In an ENTIRELY SEPERATE CITY! And doesn't that city have those guys? The... Teen... Oh, what was it... Teen Terrors? Teen Tornados? Ah, who cares? The point is, we'll be outnumbered, five to two!"

Shadowmaster grinned. "You say that like it's impossible!" he said. "You have me, remember?" he shouted, wrapping his arm around the girl's shoulder. "I'm a brilliant strategist. I'm a skilled fighter. Oh, and I'm dashingly handsome! Not to mention you have your lovely little talents. One big diamond is all it will take to make me and you rich beyond our wildest dreams! And I ensure you, my dreams are quite wild little thoughts!"

A slow smile spread across Ventura's face. "It could work, if we could distract the Teen Whatchamacallits, and get a fast escape car..."

"I'll leave the car to you, my dear. Get some rest tonight," said Shadowmaster. "I'll put my brilliant and endless intellect to work on our escape! We have three days to get ready for the heist!"

Ventura smirked as she walked to her bedroom, her mind wrapped around their plans. _Oh, boy. We're gonna have a fun time this friday._

* * *

><p><strong>Well, here's the next chapter for you! Special thanks for all those who submitted! I have to be honest, I was really worried when I was writing for Ventura, who you'll be seeing much more of in later chapters. I'm think I did a decent job writing for her, but she's Australian, and I am alway scared stiff of writing about people from other cultures, as I'm always afraid I'll just write them as stereotypes rather than actual people. Sorry, but I blame Steve Irwin (God rest his soul) folks. He's the guy who practically taught the average American the Australian Stereotype. <strong>

**Well, I'm going to have to get over my fear, as many people have submitted OCs from other countries (Sora from Japan, Jason from Mexico, and Guinevere from England for examples.) Oh well.**

**Writing for Falicity was also a little hard. First off, she's a cat based character. Those are usually pretty overdone and they almost always have the same basic personality. To make matters worse, she's not the only one in this story; three cat based heroes have been submitted! Three! And I accepted all of the... Eheh.**

**Am I the only one who thinks snakes would make awesome heroes? Meh. Oh well.**

**Anyway, I hope I got Falicity right; I tried to make her likable and witty, but bad tempered at the same time. Also, it left me wondering; what does Falicity even mean? And for that matter, what does Ventura mean? Does it have anything to do with fire?**

**Oh well. I also had a ton of fun writing for Shadowmaster. He's a guy I submitted to a few other stories, but was never featured in them, so I just put him in hear. Whenever I make a villain, they have something in common; they're either funny, insane, tragic, or a combination of the three. He's kinda like a younger version of the Penguin, a villain who will rob you blind, but be so darn polite while he does it. Maybe I should use the heroine I submitted with her to the other stories, Mellisa...**

**I'll have to think about it.**

**Next chapter had more OCs, more action, and more murder! Wait, that's not a good thing...**


	4. Orphaned

**Here's the next chapter! Special thanks to OpenSesimy and WinxPossible for their OCs, Candace and Sora! Thanks for the OCs and keep reading and reviewing!**

**Feel free to submit an OC! I need villains!**

* * *

><p>Night had crawled over the backwater, dirty streets of Dellisburg. The street-lights barely lit the darkness and every single building seemed to be a dark, black shadow jutting out of the earth. Roaches crawled in the alley ways, along with cats, dogs, and human scum. Silence held the chilled air.<p>

Slowly, a small figure emerged from a shadow, quickly running through the evening streets. Her dark jade green eyes shone in the street-lights as she made her way to the dark apartment building that lay in the corner. She crept down the road, her eyes filled with fear and worry and her skin trembling.

_I'm gonna make it. I'm gonna make it. Don't worry, I'm almost there..._

She reached the miserable little building. A building that she never had wanted to return to.

Sora Tamashi, age 16, swallowed. Her home. The place she had been raised until she was seven. The Japanese American girl trembled as she gripped the rusty door-knob and twisted it.

A creaking sound startled her. It took her ten seconds to gather up her courage and continue twisting it. Slowly, she opened the door, gently closing it behind her.

_Wow. This place looks worse than how I remembered it. _Sora thought as she scanned the hallway. Paint was peeling all over the floor, and several bottles of whiskey, beer, and wine were scattered all over the place. She could hear snoring in the living room, along with a stupid and cheesy sitcom on the television. Still, she had had a few nice memories of this place.

Until her parents had sold her.

"Mom?" Sora whispered, her breath caught in her throat. "Dad...? Are you here?"

She peered into the living room to see her parents, Ray and Kyo Tamashi, both out cold and asleep. Ray had a bottle of whiskey in his hand, and Kyo was hunched over on the couch. On the coffee table was a boc containing morphine syringes. Sora paled. _Mom's using the shots again... _she thought. Personally, she had seen enough morphine to last her a lifetime.

_Gotta get moving. I have to hurry! _she thought, as she tip-toed upstairs to her old room.

She gently opened the door, and felt a burst of relief. Her parents, in their constants drunkeness, had never really done anything with her room. All they had done was use it as a dump. She opened her closet, and after almost screaming when she saw a pair of rats scurry out, grabbed her old Barbie backpack. _Okay, _she thought. _I'll just get some food from the fridge, then I'll be on my happy way. _

Ding-dong.

The doorbell.

Sora's eyes widened. _Oh, no! Please don't let it be them!_

The doorbell rang again. And again.

Sora hid under her bed, frightening a pair of rats that had been eating her bed. Her heart began to beat harder and she prayed that no one would find her.

* * *

><p>"I'm comin', I'm comin'!" slurred Ray Tamashi, as he walked to the door of his tiny apartment. "Goddamnit..."<p>

He pulled open the door. Outside, a man wearing a skull shaped mask stood, waiting for him. "Ray Tamashi?" he asked.

Ray blinked. "Yeah, that's me... What the hell do you want? Who're you supposed ta be... some kinda trick-or-treater...?"

"No," the figure replied, pulling a pistol out and pointing it at the man's head. "I'm your executioner."

* * *

><p>BANG.<p>

The crack of gunfire startled Sora, causing her to bump her head on her bed.

Downstairs, she heard something heavy hit the floor. She heard her mother waking up and screaming.

The hair on the back of Sora's neck prickled. She crawled out from under her bed and headed towards her window, forcing it open. _The food will have to wait! I need to get out of here!_

"Hey!" she heard her mother shout. "Let me go! Let me- ACK!" the angry middle aged woman's voice was cut off by a hand grabbing her throat.

_Mom... _thought Sora, shaking her head. _No! Mom and Dad sold me! I'm not going to help her!_

She heard something get smashed downstairs and her mother cry out.

_Dang it! _she thought, as she began to creep downstairs, feeling horrified about what might await her down below. _Stay calm... I'm just gonna see if Mom's okay... Then I'm leaving..._

She came to the bottom of the steps and found her Father's now dead body, blood pouring out of his head and all over the wooden floor. Nasuea welled up in Sora's stomach as she walked around the body. She fearfully peered around the corner.

A man with a skull shaped mask was holding her Mother by the throat. In his hand, was a gun. "Now that I have your undivided attention," the figure hissed, "I'd like to know where you got these." He gestured with his gun to the box of morphine. "You aren't a doctor Mrs. Tamashi. So spare me with your lies and tell me the truth, okay?"

Mrs. Tamashi swore at the figure. "I'm not telling you anything!" she spat.

"Oh, really?" The figure sounded bemused. "Well then, you aren't very useful, now are you?" He held the gun against her skull.

The woman's eyes were filled with fear. "Wait!" she shouted. "Alright, I'll talk! It was Arthur Vance!"

The figure chuckled. "What did I say about lying? Arthur Vance is a billionare resturant owner, not some drug dealer."

"I'm telling the truth, I swear!" Mrs. Tamashi squealed. "I go to one of his resturants and in the back they sell morphine! I swear!"

The man with the skull thought about it. "Well... Arthur is rich, and powerful. And power always corrupts the one who wields it. Okay then, I chose to believe you, Mrs. Tamashi."

"Then put be down!" the woman screamed.

"Oh, no, I need to teach you a lesson about drugs first!" the man said. He put his gun inside his coat and reached inside the cardboard box and pulling out three syringes. "Let me tell you about morphine; Doctors - you know, the people who actually have a reason and a right to live - use this ti numb up patients so they can operate on them without causing any pain. However, it is actually very addictive... and very dangerous." The man held the syringes above the woman's neck. "One will numb you up. Two can stop your heart from beating. And three-" he chuckled "- well, I feel that actual experience is the best way to learn, don't you?"

He jabbed the syringes into the woman's neck, tossing her to the ground. Mrs. Tamashi made a few, miserable choking sounds as the man reached into her pants pocket, pulling out a set of keys. "I'll be borrowing a few guns for my crusade. You do understand, don't you?" he asked.

The woman passed out before he could get any answers.

"Heheheheheheheh..." the figure snickered. "Thank you for your support."

He walked to the door, by the steps. He turned, seeing Sora.

The two stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Sora whispered, "You killed them."

The figure nodded. "I did, yes. Why wouldn't I? She was a druggie, hopelessly addicted to a substance that could kill her any time she overdosed. He was an alchoholic, already arrested several times for violence and driving while under the influence. I'm simply making sure they don't hurt people like you anymore." The figure chuckled. "Shouldn't you be thanking me?"

"Thanking you...?" Sora said, unable to believe what she had witnessed. "You killed them! You didn't need to kill them!"

The figure shook his head. "You can't be serious. That's the attitude that leads to sooo many more people getting hurt." He turned away. "Well, I have to go now. Law to give to the lawless you know. Buh-bye!"

Sora's eyes flashed. "You're not going ANYWHERE! Kitsune no sutoraiki!"

A blinding flash enveloped the girl, blinding the skull masked man. When he could see, the meek little girl was gone; now there stood a red eyed creature with four fox tails. Claws were on her fingers and her once dark black hair was now unruly red hair spread around her head. A pair of fox ears lay on top of her head and her mouth was filled with sharp fangs.

The man stared for a moment. "What the hell...?"

Before he could say anymore, Sora roared and pounced onto him, her claws tearing through his jacket and almost ripping through his body armor. Their collision knocked the man through the flimsy door, shattering it as they fell into the midnight streets.

The skull man hit the ground, losing his grip on his gun, sending it flying onto the pavement. He grunted angrily, as he scurried on all fours, reaching for the pistol. Sora' clawed hand grabbed his leg, and she swung him into a brick wall with enough force to break a regular man's back.

The figure in the mask pulled himself off the wall, reaching into his coat for his knife. He pulled it out just as Sora began to charge. "Here ya go!" he shouted, stabbing at her.

She caught his hand effortlessly, squeezing until he dropped the knife. "I'm going to rip out your eyes!" she hissed angrily, her voice sounding evil and demonic. She raised her hand, her claws growing longer. She swung at the man's face, slicing through his skull shaped mask.

The mask clattered to the ground. The man's gloved hand covered his face. "No!" he shouted. "No one can see my face! Don't look! Don't look!"

Sora blinked, confused, and almost feeling guilty. "Wha-?"

The man turned away, pulling his hat over his face angrily, while his free hand reached inside his coat. He whirled around, an automatic pistol in his hand. He fired.

Sora growled as she leaped back, dodging the bullets with superhuman agility. Her attacker kept firing, forcing her into an alley. She jumped behind a dumpster, pulling it in front of her to act as a shield, hoping the metal covering and the garbage inside would shield her.

_Damn it! _she thought. _I was an idiot to pity him! Weak! I ought to-!_

Something metal landed in her lap. A grenade.

She swore and jumped away from the grenade one second to late, it exploded, knocking her into a brick wall. Leaving a trail of her blood on the wall, she collapsed onto the cold floor. She weakly opened her eyes, seeing her claws shrinking. Her hair returned to normal, her tails and ears vanished, and she returned back to her human form. "No..." she muttered weakly. "I can't... I can't..."

She closed her eyes and passed out.

_I failed..._

* * *

><p>Sighing sadly, Judgement returned his gun to his pocket. "Poor girl..." he moaned. "Blind and innocent. Unaware of the real world's cruelty. What a sad story." He turned away, walking off. "Well, on the bright side. The Tamashi family has donated a few nice guns for my crusade. I'm happy to accept their generosity."<p>

He grinned, hiding his face from the world. "Mr. Vance, your time of reckoning is at hand."

Laughing, he walked off, a new plan swirling in his head.

* * *

><p>Soon after Judgement had left, a certain snake man dashed into the alley-way, his yellow eyes searching for any sign of the shooter. He slipped into the darkness, slowly creeping through the shadows as he searched for the alley. He crept towards the dumpster, keeping as silent as possible, just in case the shooter was behind it. Hearing nothing, he whirled around the corner. He blinked.<p>

No shooter. Just a teenage girl, covered in blood. The snake man quickly ran over to her, checking her pulse. "Alive," he muttered to himself. He looked at the ground. Something was scattered all over the place. He picked up a green shard of metal and looked it over. "What the... grenade shrapnel?" He turned the piece over in his hands. _Did this girl survive a grenade? If the shockwave hadn't killed her then the shrapnel could of stabbed her through a vital organ. _He looked at the bloody girl. _She doesn't seem to be out of the ordinary... _

He checked the girl's skin. She was bleeding, but not too badly. Nothing vital was pierced. Still, she was bleeding all over the place, and she needed to be patched up.

He picked her up gently and carried her out of the alley. As he walked out, his shoe bumped into something metal. A gun was lying on the ground, a Glock. 22, left by its wielder.

The snake man picked the weapon up with his gloved hand, checking the magazine. One bullet was missing.

He pocketed the gun and carried the girl to someplace where he could patch her up.

* * *

><p>He who's reckoning was soon to come, Arthur Vance, smiled happily, blissfully unaware of the plot against his life. He happily pulled a pair of scissors out of his pocket, cutting the red ribbon at the door,as the afternoon sun shone down upon them. "Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby open this Candace's Resturant!"<p>

The crowd, filled with friends of Arthur's and newspeople, all clapped as the beautiful resturant's doors were opened. Candace's was kind of like Mcdonald's, except it was actually a pleasent place to eat, and, tragically, there was no playplace. The resturant served grilled food rather than fried. The seats were always clean and soft, and best of all, they were relitively inexpensive. The perfect spot for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Arthur had opened the chain of resturants shortly after he had adopted his niece, home he had named the chain after. Candace Vance, age 18, party girl, heiress, and spoiled rotton princess.

The dark haired girl simply did what she did at all of her uncle's big events like this; smile, wave, and look damn good while doing it. The red dress she was wearing had been flown in straight of Italy. Her shoes were made specifically for her by a specialist in Paris, France.

"Congratulations, Arthur," said Madeline Salvas. Madeline, a tall, dark-haired woman with lips as red as blood, was one of Arthur's oldest friends. She was the daughter of the town's richest man, Connor Salvas. The Salvas family had lived in the city for over a hundred years. Connor's great, great, great grandfather was rumored to be one of the first to land on the lands that would be the city. They started off with a trading post, which turned into a creating a massive business empire, running computer dealers, soda manufacturers, shoe factories, almost everything and anything. If it was in Dellisburg City, the Salvas family likely had some part in it.

And, if some rumors are to be believed, that includes crime.

"Thank you, Maddie," said Arthur, shaking the woman's hand firmly. "Always a pleasure to see you here. Candace, say hello."

"Hello, Maddie," Candace said. Her voice was like a caramel apple. Sweet, but not too good for your health.

Madeline nodded, smiling. "Lovely dress, darling," she said. "Looks expensive.""

"Oh, it is expensive," Candace answered. "Very expensive. Uncle," she said, turning to Arthur. "Can we go home now? I'm feeling hot."

Arthur smiled. "Very well, my dear," he said. Arthur could never resist his niece's requests, as selfish as they were.

After Arthur said his farewells, the trio walked to Arthur's limo. The limo drove off, heading for the mansion of Arthur Vance. They drove on, unaware that a blue van was following them, keeping its distance.

"Quite a little party, Arthur," said Madeline. "I must say, only Arthur Vance can make a red ribbon event over a chain resturant opening."

Arthur chuckled. "Candace's resturants are famous for their excellent quality in their food. I can't help it if they get so much love. Besides," he added. "The public loves Candace's face." He ruffled the girl's hair. "As do I."

"Uncle," Candace said, as she leaned back on her leather seat. "When we get home, can I go out? Amanda is going to Club Spice tonight."

"Not right when we get home, dear," said Arthur, surprising both Madeline and Candace. "You have something to do."

"Oh, do I?" Candace said, innocently.

"Yes, you do." Arthur's voice was firm. "You need to look over the new maid recruits."

"Oh, uncle!" whined Candace. "Do I have to? They never shut up!"

"Candace, you're the one who made the last maid so unhappy that she quit!" Arthur said. "You need to take responsibility for that. You're going to interview the new maids, and I mean _all _of the new maids. If you find one who will do a good job, I'll hire her."

Candace folded her arms. "Fine," she pouted. "But when I'm done I am going to Club Spice with Amanda." It wasn't a request, it was a declaration.

Arthur sighed. "Very well," he said.

Candace leaned back into her seat, frowning. Stupid work... Who needs it?

* * *

><p>Across the city, there was an house. A nice apartment. Owned by Mickey Black. Gundealer, and, like most other businessman in the city, was also dealing in his share of shady business.<p>

No, he wasn't as greasy as Crazy Calvin, and he wasn't drunk all the time like Ron Tamashi, but he was still pretty slimy. His house was always crawling with at least five body-guards, all armed to the teeth. Mickey was in the gundealing business. Sometimes he sold things legit, but other times, he gave his guns to criminals. Or at least, he used to. Mickey Black had gone straight. Business was business, and he wanted to keep his hands clean from now on.

But now was not the time for business. Mickey had a blonde woman sprawled across his chest, and the two were currently engaged in swapping spit.

"I hope I'm not interupting anything important," a voice hissed.

Mickey's heart nearly leaped out of his chest. The blonde turned around and screamed.

The snake man was standing by the open window, his eyes glaring at the duo, his mouth curved into a disgusted snarl.

"W-well if it isn't my old pal, Viper!" Mickey said, standing up. "Ya look good! You been working out?" He looked down at the blonde. "Oh, uh, Viper, this is Honey, Honey, this is Viper. We're a couple of pals! Yeah, a couple of-!"

The snake man, who shall now be refered to as Viper, siezed the gundealers throat. "I thought we had a deal, Mickey!" he hissed softly, throwing the man onto the couch.

Mickey paled as the yellow, reptilian eyes bore down upon him. "We do have a deal!" Mickey said, his trailing under the coach's arm and reaching for a secret alarm. Viper reached out, grabbing his hand. His glare intensified.

"We do have a deal!" Mickey repeated. "What would make you think otherwise?"

Two years ago, Mickey had been in a jam. He had been accused of stealing cars and selling them outside of the state. Viper had agreed to help Mickey, provided that he promised to stop all of his illegal activity. When Viper had found evidence that proved Mickey's innocence, he had delivered it to gundealer. Mickey, in turn, kept his promise.

Or did he?

Viper pulled a pistol out of his coat. "I checked up on this," he said. "This gun is registered to your store. Your fingerprints are the only ones on it. I'm pretty sure the police would like to see this. They don't get to make convictions often." His looked into Mickey's eyes. "This gun just killed Ray Tamashi. A gun-dealer like you. His wife was killed with a forced overdose of morphine. The police report stated that it was a Glock. 22's bullets that killed Ray Tamashi. This gun has been fired. I'm sure if the police take a look, they'll find out. And then, cops will be swarming all over the place. Is that what you want?"

Mickey paled. "Look, man, I know what this looks like, but I'll tell you the truth, okay? Uh, can we talk alone?" he asked, looking at the confused Honey.

The blonde glared. "I'm not goin' until I get paid!" she said, angrily.

Viper picked the woman up by the neck and shoved her in the closet. "Shut up!" he snapped. He turned back to Mickey. "Alright, talk."

Mickey led him to the other side of the room, standing away from the window. "Look, about three months ago this nutcase barges in. He shoots up my guards and comes to kill me. Y'see, he said that I had to pay for my sins against the human race. I told him I was repented, and he said that if I was truely changed, that I would help fund his crusade against evil!"

Viper nodded. "What'd he look like."

"I didn't see his face!" Mickey said. "He was wearing a metal mask, shaped like a skull! Said his name was Judgement, the Arbiter and Protector of the free world! I don't know where he's hiding out or anything, just his name! He took a ton of my guns - my best guns- and bolted! That's all!"

Viper blinked. _Great, _he thought. _A hero who is willing to kill. But why kill two druggies?_

"Can I come out now?" an annoyed Honey asked from the closet.

"I thought I told you to shut up!" Viper snapped. Turning back to Mickey, he said, "Alright, Mickey, I'm going to chose to believe you. But if I hear about you dealing with any scum, and I'll make you regret it, got it?"

Mickey nodded. "Yessir!" he said. "If he comes back, I'll give you a call, okay?"

Viper nodded, walking to the window. "You do that."

Viper leaped outside, jumping from building to building as the afternoon sun beat upon his back.

* * *

><p><strong>YAY! Two updates in a row! Whoot!<strong>

**Anyway, we get more OCs in this chapter! As I stated before, writing for someone who comes from a differant country from mine always makes me nervous, as I'm afraid I'll just make them a racial stereotype. I hope I got Sora right. I also really like her fox demon form. Very cool!**

**I didn't get to write much for Candace, but I think I got her snobby attitude down. Don't worry, readers, she'll mellow up.**

**Tune in next time for more OCs, action, and Titans!**


	5. Falicity vs Judgement

Candance Vance frowned angrily. '"Uncle..." she whined.

Arthur shook his head. "Not another word, darling," he said, his voice firm. They were sitting in the living room of their mansion, with an eager line of girls standing just outside the door, waiting to be Candace's new maid. "You scared off the last one, so you're hiring the new one."

Candace folded her arms. "Aww..." she groaned. "Alright, let's get this over with."

Arthur smiled as he patted his niece on the shoulder. "That's a good girl. These girls have filled out their job applications nicely, so I expect you to look over them before you choose one, okay?"

"Okay," Candace said. "But when I'm done this-!"

"Yes, my dear, I know!" Arthur said. "You just get to work. Me and Madeline have a little meeting. If you need anything, come upstairs and tell me, okay?"

Candace sighed. "Fine... I'll be done soon."

Arthur sighed, walking away. _Why did I spoil her so...?_

Candace opened the door to the living room, moaning when she saw the line of women and girls outside. How many girls could possibly want to be maids? "Alright," she said. "Stop wasting my time and yours. Let's start."

* * *

><p>"Your niece is quite the piece of work," said Madeline, pouring herself a glass of wine.<p>

Arthur sighed as he sat in his leather office chair. "I've spoiled her," he lamented. "She's such a beautiful young woman, and I've just spoiled her."

Madeline sipped the wine, pleased with how it tasted. "Well, I hope she'll mellow out. She was arrested a few months ago, correct?"

"Yes," Arthur said, sadly. "She got into a fist fight with another girl over a dress." He sighed. "I can pnly blame myself. I should have raised her more carefully."

"You shouldn't blame yourself," Madeline said. "Her parents couldn't afford to keep her, and you're the one who raised her. She's better off spoiled than dead, you know."

Arthur sighed. "I suppose. But you didn't set up this meeting to make comments on my parenting skills. What seems to be the trouble?"

Madeline frowned. "Last week, Jerry Mils was shot to death. Then, Calvin Adamson was killed."

"I thought Calvin commited suicide?" Arthur said.

"Calvin was scared stupid of death; I don't think he would have killed himself," Madeline said. "Yesterday, the Tamashis bit the dust. Someone is killing off our partners, Arthur."

Arthur frowned. "I knew I should never have gotten involved in this madness," he said, turning away. "So, we're being hunted, eh?"

"It would seem so," Madeline said. "My father is looking into it. My brother, Vlad, is all to eager to dispose of the killer."

Arthur leaned back in his seat, putting his face between his hands. "Do you think he'll target Candace?"

"I don't know," said Madeline said. "Still, I just thought I'd let you know - as your friend - to raise your security."

"Yes, yes," Arthur said. "Of course." He reached into his desk drawer, pulling out his cell phone. "I'll have Candace take a nice vacation at the condo. She'll be safer there."

"What about you?" asked Madeline. "Aren't you going with her?"

"Of course not!" Arthur said. "If I went with her, the killer would follow us for sure. I'm staying here."

"You're using _yourself_ as _bait_?" Madeline said, shocked.

"I don't have a choice, Maddy," Arthur said. "This has gotten too dangerous for me. I need to take a break from our dealings."

"You now how my father feels when people back out of deals," Madeline said, venom in her voice.

Arthur nodded. "Your father should be more concerned with the murderer on the loose. I'll... get back into the business when it's safer. I'm going to call the police and inform them that a plot against my life is in progress. I should be able to gain police protection."

"You're calling the cops?" Madeline sounded enraged.

"I don't enjoy violence, Ms. Madeline. I hope you understand." Arthur's voice was sincere.

Madeline's eyes narrowed. "I understand, Arthur," she said. "You had better pray that my father does, too." She stood up. "I'll be off now," she said.

Arthur nodded. "Good bye," he said, as Madeline walked out the door.

Arthur sat back in his chair and sighed. Deep down, he knew he shouldn't have ever gotten into the drug business. it wasn't healthy for him and it wasn't healthy for Candace either. When this killer was caught and disposed of, he was going to do his best to retire safely. For Candace's sake.

There was a knock on the door.

"Yes?" he said. "Who is it?

"Judgement," the figure on the other side answered.

"Who?" Arthur stood up. "Who's there? What's going-?"

Before he could answer, the door swung open, and he found himself staring down the barrel of a pistol.

Judgement smirked behind his mask. "Arthur Vance? We need to talk. Now."

* * *

><p>"Too short. Next!"<p>

A girl walked off, a dissapointed expression on her face. The next one walked up.

"Ugh, I can't stand your perfume! Next!"

Another girl walked off, looking very angry. Another one walked up.

"What an ugly shirt! Beat it! Next!"

Another girl ran out, sobbing.

_Damn, _thought Tonia Hart, AKA Falicity. _What a brat. No job is worth this._

"Next!" the voice of Candace Vance shouted.

"That'll be me," muttered Tonia to herself, walking into the room. She was wearing a light blue shirt and carrying a ratty old backpack, containing her Falicity costume.

Candace raised an eyebrow. "Oh, boy!" she said. "Where do I start?"

Tonia slapped her job application on the table. "How about with reading this?" she asked, as calmly as possible.

Candace looked over the paper. "Oh, wow!" she said, sarcastically. "You've worked at Mcdonalds! What an achievement!"

Tonia didn't say anything. Killing her client wouldn't be good for chances at getting the job.

"And it says here your name is... Tonia Hart?" Candace looked up. "The same Tonia Hart who is a part of the Hart family?"

"What an amazing observation," Tonia remarked.

"Well, I hate to say it, but seeing as how you smell bad, look bad, dress bad, and come from the biggest group of drunken partying idiots in the world, I can't see you working here anytime soon." Candace smiled smugly. "Sorry! Next!"

Tonia's left eye twitched. "Alright, ya little brat," she said. "I don't know who you think you are, but I am positive that we both live in the real world. And in the real world, when you talk to someone like that, they take your Goddamn head off!"

Candace gaped, not used to being insulted in such a matter. "Shut up!" she snapped. "I should have you arrrested!"

"For what, using my freedom of speech? That's something else that exists in the real world, brat," replied Tonia.

"Shut up!" Candace shouted. "Why would I hire you now? You're rude, a druggie, and that shirt is _hideous._"

"Says you!" snapped Tonia. "This shirt looks fine!"

"Yeah, if you're colorblind!" retorted Candace.

The other girls who had been waiting in line sense awkwardness and left, as Tonia and Candace entered into a full blown shouting match with each other.

"Brat!"

"Bitch!"

"Moron!"

"Druggie!"

BANG.

Tonia's ears pricked. Cat's have more sensitive hearing than that of a human. She could have sworn she just heard gunfire.

"Did you hear that?" asked Candace, looking around.

Tonia blinked. She had barely heard that, even with her advance hearing. How'd this girl hear it? "Yeah I did," she answered. "Sounded like... a gun shot."

"I'll go tell my uncle," Candace announced, walking away. "Let yourself out."

Tonia went against her better judgement and followed the girl. "Not a chance," she said. "If there's an emergency here, I want to help!"

Candace laughed bitterly as they ran down the hall to her uncle's office. "What could you possibly do?" she asked.

_Oh, you have no idea,_ thought Tonia.

They rounded the corner and caught sight of a man wearing a navy blue jacket and a skull shaped metal mask, closing the door to Arthur Vance's office, and putting something into his jacket.

"Hey! You!" shouted Candace. "What're you doing?"

The figure turned around, running off down the hall.

Candace ran up to Arthur's office, flinging open the door as Tonia ran foward, shouting, "Hey! Where are you going?"

Candace screamed, running into the office.

Tonia blinked, looking into the office to see why the spoiled brat had screamed.

Arthur Vance was leaning back in his chair, blood pouring out of his chest. The millionare's eyes were glazed over. _Oh my God! _thought Tonia. _He's dead! He's really dead!_

"Uncle!" cried Candace, shaking him. "Uncle, wake up! Please, wake up!"

Tonia turned to see the figure from before, rounding a corner and dissapearing. "Oh, no you don't!" she hissed, chasing after him while she pulled her Falicity costume from her backpack. She opened the nearest door she could find, happy to discover that it was a broom closet. She jumped inside, emerging a few seconds later fully dressed in her hero outfit.

Growling, she ran down the hallway that the figure had run down, intent on capturing the murderer.

* * *

><p>Judgement sighed as he opened the back door to the mansion, slipping away behind the massive hedges that were all over the backyard. <em>I just killed a beloved millionare,<em> he thought. _I'm about to become very, very famous. All for the better, though. More people will know about my cause. _

He grinned behind his skull shaped mask as he ran to his van, hidden behind the hedges. Arthur Vance was a pretty laid back guy; security here was nearly nonexistant. All he had were several security cameras that he easily snuck around. It had been Vance's biggest, and final, mistake.

A flash of magenta caught his eye. He drew his gun in a flash. His eyes keenly searched the area for any sign of the stalker. "You know," he said, "it's hard to sneak around when you're wearing bright clothes like that."

There was no reply, but Judgement wasn't buying it. "Come on out," he called. "I won't shoot you. Unless you give me a reason to."

He heard the bushes part behind him. He whirled around, ready to fire, only to be kicked in the face. He stumbled backwards, dazed but not injured.

Falicity struck a combat pose, her claws and teeth bared.

Judgement sighed. "A cat," he said. "I hate cats. They make me sneeze."

Falicity grabbed the man by the neck, holding him in the air. "Alright, pal," she growled, "talk! Why'd you kill Arthur Vance?"

"Here's a better question," Judgement said. "How do you know that I killed him?"

Falicity blinked. "I... Had a feeling... that he was in danger! So I came here and saw you shoot him!"

"Well, do you have x-ray vision? Because when I killed hi, we were in his office. The blinds on the window were down," Judgement pointed out.

"So you admit that you killed him!" growled Falicity, squeezing his throat. "Why did you do it? Who hired you!"

"Well, I don't see why you're so mad with me," Judgement replied casually. "Vance was drug peddling slime. He got what he deserved."

"Arthur Vance is a resturant owner, not a drug dealer!" said Falicity. "You're running out of excuses!"

"No, what I'm running out of is patience," said Judgement, before kneeing her in the gut as hard as she could. Advanced strength or not, Falicity gasped and dropped the man, who quickly swung his fist into her face, knocking her over. "Such a shame!" he said. "I had hoped you would have understood me. No one seems to."

Falicity leaped up. "You're either insane or a liar!" she growled. "I won't fall for any of your tricks!"

"Oh, but I have so many tricks," Judgement said. "For example-!" He reached to the left sleeve on his jacket, pulling it down to reveal a long metallic tube. He pointed the weapon as Falicity and fired. A massive fireball emerged, forcing Falicity to leap aside. Judgement smirked as he aimed his flamethrower at her again, firing it at the cat girl again.

_Who IS this guy? _Falicity angrily thought as she dodged the flames. She bared her claws and leaped over the man, landing on his blue van. Judgement whirled about and fired again, only for Falicity to dodge, and the fire to cover the van.

"Ah, hell..." muttered Judgement as he jumped away, the van's gasoline catching fire and exploding. A massive BOOM filled the air, torching the mansion's neatly trimmed hedges.

Falicity groaned as she picked herself up. She had mananged to dodge the explosion, but the blast had nearly made her ear drums pop. Super hearing did have its disadvantages.

Judgement was quick to escape, running away from the heroine as she struggled to stand. He quickly leaped over the wall of the mansion, landing on a sidewalk outside. He quickly ran towards the highway, Falicity in hot pursuit.

Falicity's eyes widened as she saw Judgement actually grab onto the side of a school bus and hoist himself up, holding onto the roof as it drove down the highway. _Yep. He IS definantly insane, _she thought, as she ran after him. She leapt at the bus and grabbed onto it, pulling herself up. _Good thing I am too._

She crawled onto the top of the bus, growling at Judgement, who had his back turned as he waited casually for her to attack. Strangely enough, the speed of the bus wasn't having much effect on how he stood. "I'm not going anywhere, kitty cat," he said, tapping his boots on the roof. "Magnetic boots. Never came in handy until now. Funny, eh?"

"Not as funny as your face is gonna look when I'm done with you!" Falicity growled.

Judgement turned to face her. "Oh, don't worry about that. My face is pretty funny looking already." He pulled a long knife out of his coat. "I'd like to just shoot you, but I can't risk hurting any civilians with loose bullets."

Falicity bared her claws, still gripping onto the speeding bus as it rocketed down the road. "Let's dance, ugly."

* * *

><p><em>None of this makes any sense, <em>thought Viper. The vigilante leaped from roof-top to roof-top, father away from Mickey's place. _I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think Mickey might be telling the truth. Why does someone steal guns to kill druggies and two bit thieves? _

He landed on a roof-top and sat down behind a bill board that shielded him from the sun. He sighed. Being a reptile could be a real pain.

He pulled his notebook out of his pocket. Written inside was a list of people who had been murdered as of late. They all had one thing in common: they were criminals. Not big criminals, just small timers. Still, someone was hunting these guys down. And now, the Tamashis were dead, and their gunshop had been found completely cleaned out. This "Judgement" now had a lot more weapons and ammo than before.

He heard a voice scream. A woman, probably sixty or older.

He stood up and looked out. A school bus was driving down the streets. On the top, was a girl in some kind of pink cat outfit, and a man in a navy blue jacket. Wearing a skull mask.

Venom's eyes widened.

He ran across the roof-top, heading for the next intersection. With any luck, the light would be red, and he could jump on before the skull masked man could get off. If he was Judgement, Viper wanted answers.

An arrest would be nice to. Not that he was a cop, or anything.

Growling as the light remained green, he continued to chase after the bus as it drove across the streets, the two combatants still battling on top of it.

_It's times like this when I wish I had a jetpack... _Viper thought. _Maybe Pa can make me one._

The bus drove down the busy highway, the driver unaware of the battle on the top. Most people who saw the battle on top could hardly believe their eyes. Viper growled at the prospect of being seen by so many of civilians, but it was a risk that he had to take.

The bus passed through another green light, and Viper knew time was of the essence. He grit his teeth and jumped down, heading straight for the bus.

* * *

><p>Falicity grunted as she narrowly dodged Judgement's long knife, gripping onto the bus with her claws. Judgement swung his blade again, missing Falicity and getting his knife stuck into the bus' roof. Falicity kicked the man, but he barely fell back at all. Damn magnetic boots...<p>

"Tired?" Judgement asked, snidely.

"Not a chance!" shouted Falicity.

"Good!" Judgement said. "Neither am I!" he shouted, charging with his dagger.

Before he could attack the girl again, a black and green blurr landed, knocking the knife from Judgement's hand.

Falicity blinked as the snake man gripped the roof of the bus, pulling a metal rod that extended into a full grown staff. "Judgement, I presume?" he hissed.

"Who the...?" Falicity began.

"Why does every weirdo in this city just come up and attack me?" seethed Judgement.

Viper hissed. "You're under arrest for the murders of Kyo and Ray Tamashi!" he shouted.

"Who?" asked Falicity. "Wait a second, I'm taking him in for the murder of Arthur Vance."

Viper whirled around, staring at the cat girl. "Arthur Vance is dead? The millionare Arthur Vance?"

"Yeah, him," Falicity said. "And who are you supposed to be? Lizard man?"

"I'm Viper. You know, a snake!" Viper retorted. "And since when are cats pink?"

"As fun as this is," said Judgement, pulling out a pistol from his jacket, "I have places to be and people to slay." He aimed the gun at the duo.

"Whatever happened to not wanting to hurt any civilians!" shouted Falicity.

Judgement smirked behind his mask. "If you hold still, I won't be able to hit them, now will I?" he said, firing before they could answer.

Falicity and Viper hit the deck, the bullets wizzing overhead. "Any ideas?" Falicity shouted.

"Stop him shooting at us comes to mind," Viper remarked drily.

"Besides the obvious," Falicity retorted.

Before either of them could do anything, the bus stopped suddenly, throwing the two heroes to their feet. A red light finally had appeared.

"Oh, would you look at that!" Judgement said. "Here's my stop!" He switched his boots off and pulled out a grappling hook. He fired the hook which latched onto a building. Judgement was pulled safely away, though Viper and Falicity refused to give up, following him.

"Did this guy really kill Vance?" shouted Viper as he climbed the building that Judgement was currently running over.

"Of course!" shouted Falicity. "Why?"

"I've been investigating this for a while now," Viper said as the unlikely duo climbed to the top of the building and chased after the fleeing figure of Judgement, who was already leaping to the next building ahead of him, climbing it easily. "Every other person he's killed has one thing in common: they were active participents in illegal activities!"

"What?" Falicity said as they jumped onto the next building. They grabbed onto the fire escape and hoisted themselves up. "But then why would he kill Vance? What did he ever do?"

"Who knows?" asked Viper as they climbed to the top of the building. "All I know is, we gotta catch-!"

BANG.

"Gahg!" Viper screamed, clutching his bleeding side. Two shots, right in the ribs. The snake man stumbled back, nearly falling off the roof. His fangs were gritted in pain, his eyes shut.

"Viper!" Falicity shouted. "Are you okay?"

"I'll... be fine!" growled Viper. "Get him!"

Falicity turned to see Judgement pocketing his gun. "Sorry about that," he said. "Can't have you following me, can I?"

"You bastard!" growled Falicity. "I'm going to-!"

"You might want to focus on your friend," Judgement said, cutting her off.

Falicity whirled around to see Viper keeling over and falling into the alley-way below. Shouting out, Falicity grabbed the reptile man's foot, keeping him from falling to his death.

Viper groaned. "He's getting... away..." he moaned.

Falicity looked over her shoulder, seeing Judgement run away, leaping down into another alley-way. "I know," she grunted, pulling Viper up. "We need to get you to a hospitol."

"No!" shouted Viper, gasping. "Not there... Take me... To Foster's Antique Store... I know the owner. She'll know what to do."

"What?" asked Falicity. "How am I gonna get you there? I don't have a ride!"

"Get me down to the road!" gasped Venom, clutching his bleeding side.

Falicity grunted in reply, slinging the snake man over her shoulder and carrying him down the fire escape. Viper pulled a pair of car keys out of his bloody pocket, hitting a button on them.

Falicity touched the ground. Her ears pricked when she heard a vehicle driving towards them. She turned to see a green van drive up to them, the doors sliding open automatically.

"You're driving," said Venom, handing her the keys. "Don't scratch the paint, please."

Falicity nodded, placing the bleeding snake in the passenger's seat. "Alright," she said. "Do you have any bandages I can use here?"

"No," Viper admitted. "Never needed them before."

"Well we need them now!" Falicity said, getting into the driver's seat. She pulled her shirt out of her back-pack, tearing the sleaves off. "This'll have to do for now."

Venom raised an eye-ridge. "With that...?" he asked.

"Yes, I know, it's an ugly shirt," groaned Falicity, pulling the reptile's shirt off. She gently placed her clawed fingers into the man's rib. Venom's eyes shut, hsi toes curled, and his mouth clenched shut, the pain shocking his systems as the girl pulled the bullets out of his ribs. She then wrapped the shirt around the snake's ribs. "Alright," she said. "I'm gonna get you to your friend, okay?" she said, grabbing the wheel and turning the keys. The van coughed and sputtered before roaring to life.

Venom closed his eyes as the cat-girl drove off, giving her instructions to the Antique Shop.

This hadn't been his best crime-fighting day.

* * *

><p><strong>Huzzah! Another chapter! Tune in next time when we meet more OCs and see more action. Oh, and one more thing: If you want to submit more OCs, you can, but I will not accept anymore female heroes! I'm really, really sorry, but almost everyone who has submitted a female hero wants to have their OC hook up with one of the male OCs, which I do not have many of so far. So please, no female heroes! If you want to submit a chick, she needs to be a baddie!<strong>

**Thanks to all reviewers!**


	6. Istas Arrives

**Here's a new chapter! Special Thanks to bearrose and Moonlit Kit! Thanks for the OCs!**

* * *

><p>It was after sundown by the time Falicity and Viper had reached the Foster's Antiques. The store was in the slightly cleaner part of Dellisburg. It was a small, rectangular building, with the store itself on the bottom while the owner lived on the top. The owner had taken great care to make sure the store was in a good neighborhood.<p>

Falicity felt a breath of relief exit her lungs. Well, whoever lived here was a friend of Viper's, and she needed him alive if she wanted any answers about that Judgment guy.

"Park out back..." said Viper. The snake-man was barely awake. He had lost an awful lot of blood. "I've got a key..."

"Right," Falicity said, as she swerved the car slowly behind the building, parking in the alleyway. "You know the owner?"

"Yes," replied Viper, as the car came to a stop. "I do. She's a friend."

Falicity nodded. "I figured." She got out of the car and helped the wounded Viper out as well. "How's the bullet wound?"

"It'll be fine, once we get to Nissa. She knows what she's doing. She's patched me up half a dozen times already."

Falicity frowned. Viper had been shot more than once? She had never been shot. Sure, some people had tried before (a few rent-a-cops come to mind) but she had never actually been hit by a bullet. From the look on the snake man's face earlier, it had been very painful. Suddenly, she actually missed Shadowmaster. Sure he was a smug jackass, but at least he didn't use guns. He was also polite, in a creepy, stalkerish kind of way.

Viper's hand shook as he placed his key in the door's lock, turning it. The door opened with a quiet click. "Nissa?" he said, gently, too out of breath to shout. "Are you there...?"

There was no reply. The store was dark and quiet, clearly closed for the day.

"She's probably in the basement," Viper said, barely awake. "She's tending to a young lady... Go down there," he said, tiredly.

Falicity caught sight of a door, leading down to the basement. She turned the knob and switched on the light, walking down the creaking stairs into the basement below.

The basement looked good. Damn good. Sure, it was dark and had a musky scent, but it actually wasn't bad. A small couch, a desk that was littered with papers, and even a small TV. It even had a bed. But the room wasn't what was so amazing. Falicity's eyes were drawn to a small Asian looking girl, who was lying out cold on the bed, bandages wrapped around her arms. The girl looked unhappy as she slept, like she had just had the worst nightmare in the world.

"Where's Nissa?" grunted Viper. He nearly fell over. His bandages were soaked with blood, and it was starting to drip to the floor. "I'll go look upstairs... You stay down here and wait for..." The snake man's eyes rolled back into his head and fell down.

Falicity grabbed him before he could hit the ground. "Oh, no you don't!" she grunted, helping him onto the couch. "You stay here, and I'll go find your friend."

Viper nodded, laying down on the couch with a sigh.

Falicity swiftly and quietly climbed up the stairs. Her heart wa beating very quickly. She hadn't known Viper very long, but she didn't want to see him die.

Before she could reach the top of the steps, something cold and metallic was thrust into her gut. Falicity froze, her hair standing on end.

At the top of the steps was a very angry looking, raven-haired young woman with a shotgun.

"Hands up!" she ordered, angrily. "Right now!"

Falicity complied, raising her hands up and stepping back. "Are you the owner?" she asked.

The girl shoved the barrel into her stomach. "I'm the one who's going to be asking the questions," she snarled. "Who are you?" she demanded.

Falicity took a deep breath. "My name is Falicity. I came here to-"

"To steal my things, right?" the woman answered. "To get rich quick with my valuble antiques?"

"No!" Falicity shouted. "Why do you think I'm some kinda crook?"

"Well, you're sneaking around in my store, wearing a goofy-ass cat get-up," the woman answered, not lowering the gun.

Falicity rolled her eyes. "Point taken. Look, I have a guy downstairs - Viper, I think - and he says he's a friend of your's!"

The woman's eyes narrowed. "How do you know about Viper?" she growled. "Only his Dad and I know about him."

"Because he's down the stupid steps in your stupid basement!" shouted Falicity, almost forgetting about the shotgun in her gut.

"How can I believe you?" shouted the woman. "You're the one sneaking around my house dressed like that!"

"Mommy? What's going on?" a voice asked.

A little girl ran down the steps, looking a lot like her mother. "Mommy? Who's that?" she asked, looking over Falicity. "Is it Halloween?" she asked, eagerly.

Falicity blinked. _A kid? She's a Mom? She looks younger than me!_

"Zi!" the woman said. "Go back upstairs, right now!"

"But Mom!" Zi whined. "I wanna know what's going on!"

"I'm just catching a thief!" the woman replied. "Go to your room!"

"Aww..." Zi whined. The girl turned around and began to walk upstairs again.

"Look, I'm telling you!" Falicity shouted. Two lives were at stake, and she was never once to mince words. "Viper is dying downstairs! He needs help!"

"Viper's here?" Zi asked, running down the stairs again. Before her Mother could do anything, Zi had run past the Falicity and ran down into the basement.

"ZI! No!" shouted the woman. But it was too late. Zi was already running down the steps, and if she moved, Falicity would get away.

"Mom!" Zi's voice called from below. "Viper's down here! H...he's bleeding all over the place!"

The woman blinked. "He is?"

"Told you," Falicity said, trying not to be smug. It was difficult.

"Stay there," the woman ordered. She went behind the counter of the store and reached under it, pulling out a first aid kit. "That idiot got himself shot again..." she muttered.

"Again?" repeated Falicity.

"Come on," the woman said, gesturing with the shotgun.

The duo walked down the stairs, down to the basement. Zi was croched down to the barely awake Viper, whow as clutching his wound. The makeshift bandage was absolutely soaked.

"Damn it, Viper!" shouted the woman, running over to him.

Viper smiled weakly. "Hey, Nissa."

Nissa slapped the anthro-snake on the head. "Don't 'hey Nissa' me, you idiot!" she shouted. "You got yourself shot AGAIN!"

"Sorry..." muttered Viper. "Cat girl already took the bullet out, so don't bother trying to remove it."

Nissa put the shotgun aside (though still close enough to grab if Falicity tried anything) and opened up the first aid kit. She pulled out a needle and thread. "Alright," she said. "You know how much this is gonna sting, so don't bother screaming."

Viper winced and nodded.

"Zi," Nissa said. "Go upstairs."

"Aww..." Zi moaned. "Okay. Good night, Viper!"

"Night," Viper replied.

Nissa sighed. "Sorry about the shot gun thing," she told Falicity.

Falicity shrugged. "Ah, it's only about the third time this week. Not a big deal anymore."

Nissa sighed as she strung her needle with thread. She sighed and turned to Viper, forcing a smile. "This is gonna sting," she informed the snake.

A pained hiss flew through the air.

* * *

><p>"Alrighty then. Escape car?"<p>

"I know a guy in jump. Says he can rig one up for us."

"Good. Map to the museum where the Star is being displayed?"

"Check."

"Excellent. That... grabby thing?"

"Check."

"Train tickets? Preferably first class?"

"Check, though you'll have to deal with second class."

"I suppose I'll live. Oh, and last but certainly not least, my suits?"

"... What?"

Shadowmaster threw his arms in the air. "My suits!" he shouted. "How am I supposed to rob a museum without a nice suit!"

Ventura resisted the urge to light her parnter's hair on fire. "If you want your suits, go and pack them yourself!" she snapped.

Shadowmaster sighed. "Oh, very well," he said. "Well, minus my best clothing, we seem to have everything we need, except a distraction."

"Why would we need that?" asked Ventura. "You sayin' I can't clobber those Teen Whatchamacallits anyday I want?"

Shadowmaster raised a hand in defense. "Oh, of course not!" he lied. "I'm just saying we'd have better chances with someone distracting them."

"They're just five kids," Ventura pointed out.

"Six, actually." Shadowmaster smirked. "Aqualad is showing up."

"That fishboy? big deal," said Ventura.

"Well, water and fire don't mix!" Shadowmaster said. "I'll look up Jump City's criminal lists on the way there. With any luck, there'll be a moron we can trick into trying to off the kiddies at the big grand opening. We take the diamond, and then zimp off." The criminal cackled, very pleased with himself. "Oh, I AM a genuis, aren't I?"

Ventura rolled her eyes. "You'd better be," she said. "Because this is gonna be the crime of the century!"

* * *

><p>Falicity sighed as she leaned against the wall of the basement. She was tired. Dead tired. Not to mention she still needed a job, and her apartment would get taken away from her if she didn't pay this month's rent, and Ruby was waiting for her at home for her cat food. All in all, it was a pretty crappy day.<p>

Nissa just had finished sewing Viper up, and had gone upstairs to wash her hands and make sure that Zi had gotten into bed. Viper was still reeling from the pain. She was alone with Viper and the unconcious girl on the side of the room, still in a fitful sleep. Falicity was bored. She halfway considered leaving, to go and kick some crook's ass.

"Ugh..." moaned Viper, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Heya," Falicity said, getting up and walked over to him. "How you doing?"

Viper grinned sheepishly. "You never get used to it," he said, gesturing to his stiches. "Still hurts like the first time."

"Yeah," Falicity said. "She a doctor?"

Viper shook his head. "She was studying it. Ended up here instead."

"Ah," Falicity said. "So," she asked, pointing at the Asian girl on the bed, "who's that?"

Viper shrugged. "Dunno. I found her yesterday, out cold in an alleyway while I was hunting down that Judgment guy. Found grenade shrapnel all around her, meaning she probably was fighting him."

Falicity felt her brain smack her. Duh! Why hadn't she asked about that? "Hey!" she said. "What do you know about him? He just killed a famous millionare, and he tried to kill us! You mean you've been tailing him for some time now?"

Viper nodded. "You really wanna get involved?" he asked.

Falicity nodded.

Viper pointed to a desk in the corner. "My evidence," he said. "If you want in, read it. Vance isn't the first guy Judgment's killed."

Falicity nodded, walking over to the desk. She flipped on the desklamp and removed her hood. She had been wearing the costume all day, and it was begining to itch. She looked down at the huge mess of papers, nearly burying the computer that sat on the desk.

"Alright," she said. "Where do I start?"

Viper didn't answer. He was already asleep.

* * *

><p>No one liked Dellisburg City. No one. At all. The Mayor didn't like it, the cops didn't like it, the criminals didn't like it, and even the rats and roaches didn't like it. It was filthy, destitute, ugly and crime-ridden. Every self respecting honest person wanted out.<p>

No one thought the place could be a sign of hope for a young woman. A refuge. A place she could start anew.

Istas White, a young Native American teenage girl, was hunched over, sitting in a miserable little box. She had stowed away on a train, that was landing in Dellisburg. The girl had ridden all the way from Alaska to get to Dellisburg, to start her life again. And after sitting in a box, in a box car that was filled with fish, she was ready to get out. To be completely honest, she was getting naseous of the smell. She only hoped she could get a shower.

Istas held her breath as she heard the train come to a screeching halt. Time to go, before anyone came to unload and found a girl where fish should be. She slowly popped off the lid to crate, leaping out. She groaned as she streatched her cramped and sore legs, before softly whistling and calling "Here, Aiyana! Come on, girl!"

A husky like dog leaped out from one of the other crates, barking eagerly and licking her owner's hands. Aiyana, Istas' only friend in the world.

"Shh!" hissed Istas. "Be quiet! We need to get out of here without anyone seeing us!"

The dog stared up at her master, letting Istas know that she understood. "Good girl," the girl said. "Come on, let's go!"

She slowly opened the box car's rusted door, and hopped out, hoping that no one would notice her. Istas and Aiyana slowly began to walk through the dark, seedy looking station. So far, so good...

"Hey! You!"

Do'h.

A large, angry looking man was running after her, his face bright red. He was clearly angry, and judging by his uniform, a worker at the station.

Istas broke into a mad run as the man chased her and Aiyana. "Come on, Aiyana!" she shouted to her dog.

Aiyana was never one to back down from a fight, but she obeyed her master's order, and the two ran through the crowded, dirty train station, their pursuer still following them.

_Dang it! _Istas thought. _I need to get out of here!_

Istas kept running, passing by the people that crowded the station. No one payed her any mind, and just went on with their lives. Istas needed to escape, quickly. She couldn't get arrested on her first day!

That is, if that guy would even bother calling the cops.

"Get back here, ye damn little thief!" the man called, chasing the girl.

Istas didn't reply. She just kept running, rounding a corner...

And she ran smack into another teenager, causing him to spill coffee all over his nice suit.

Istas looked up at the young man, who's face was as red as his hair as he stared down at the coffe stain on his suit. "You... You... You IMBECILE!" he roared, his voice containing a strong British accent. "Look what you did to my suit you-!" He froze when he actually saw Ista lying on the ground, Aiyana next to her. The dog was growling loudly at the boy.

"Oh, dear!" the boy said. "I'm soooo sorry! I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm just having a bad day, and this suit was brand new." He grinned sheepishly as he pulled Istas off the ground. "So sorry," he said again. "My name is Blake, Blake Sanders. And you?"

Istas blinked. "Istas..." she said, warily, unsure what had caused Blake's sudden mood change. "Sorry about your suit..." she said.

"Oh, what does that matter?" Blake said. "I have about half a dozen more just like it!" he insisted, wiping off some of the warm coffee with a hankey had had pulled from his pocket. "I just hope you and your lovely little dog aren't unhappy!"

Aiyana didn't stop growling. She hated being called little.

"Well, where are you heading off today, my dear?" Blake asked.

Istas wasn't really sure, and she wasn't sure if she should tell him. "I'm going to find an apartment. So, see ya!" she said, hurridly. "Come on, Aiyana!" she said, before the two ran off, leaving Blake alone.

_Sheesh! _she thought. _What a weirdo... Well, at least I lost that guy from before._

The sound of police siren cut off her thinking. A small, dirty squad car raced by her, its sirens blaring as it tore down the road.

Istas blinked. "Something must be wrong!" she said to Aiyana.

The dog barked back, as if saying "Sounds like it."

Istas sighed. "Well, I'm sure the cops can handle it."

Aiyana stared at her incredulously.

Istas sighed. "Oh, who am I kidding?" she asked.

The girl and her mutt ran after the squad car.

* * *

><p>Blake Sanders, AKA Shadowmaster sighed as he bought himself a new cup of coffee. Another girl, throwing herself into the open maw of death that was Dellisburg. How sad. Shadowmaster didn't like Dellisburg either. Here, he was just a crook. There wasn't anything special about a crook in Dellisburg. He wanted to leave to go to another city, like Jump or Star City. As long as he was in Dellisburg, he was just a criminal. He wasn't unique.<p>

"Peh!" he muttered, as he sipped his creamy coffee. "Not unique? Me! What on earth am I thinking? I'm a criminal master mind! I've robbed a hundred different businesses! I'm brillaint, young and drop dead handsome! Why should I rot in this wasteland!" He pasued for a second, and then answered his own question. "Because Falicity's here, of course! Out of all of my robberies, she's the only one who could keep up with me!" He threw his coffee cup to the ground. "Blast!" he shouted. "I just can't win, can I?"

"Um... Sir?"

Blake turned to see the lady at the coffee stand, who was staring at him, surprised at his out burst. "Is there something wrong with the coffee...?"

Blake forced a smile. "Of course not!" he said. "It was very good! I'm just in a cup throwing mood right now." He turned away before the girl could say anything else. "Well, I have things to do. Ventura won't be happy if I'm late for our train! Seeya!" he shouted, as he walked off.

The coffee girl stared blankly after him, before realizing he hadn't paid yet. Before she could say another word, he was gone in the crowds.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong>

**Well, after a long time here's an update. Sorry it took so darn long. **

**I was once again afraid of writing for Istas, as she is Native American. I think I'll survive, as long as I don't make her do a rain dance. **

**I'll try to update more often! Please be patient! Comment and add this story to faves!**


	7. Roses

**Here's the next part! Sorry for the wait! Special thanks to Licorice Mitski for his/her OCS! Thanks a ton!**

* * *

><p>"Hey! Cat girl! Wake up!"<p>

Falicity moaned as she slowly woke up, her eyes feeling heavy and blurry. "Ugh..." she moaned as she pulled her face off the pile of papers that she had been reading.

Nissa stopped shaking her. "Oh, good, you're awake!" she said. "Where's Viper?"

Falicity blinked. "He's not here?" she asked. She looked over to the couch where Viper had been laying down. Sure enough, snake boy was gone. "What the hell?" Falicity said, getting up and rubbing her head. "Where did Viper go?"

"That's what I'm asking you!" shouted Nissa. "Ugh, he's probably gone off to fight crime again, without a thank you or anything! Again! His wounds aren't even completely healed yet! He could get killed!"

Falicity sighed, as she slipped on her hood. "I'll go and find him," she moaned. She really needed some more sleep...

"Ugh..." a voice moaned. "Where am I...?"

Nissa and Falicity turned to see the asian girl, waking up on the bed. The girl's eyes were filled with confusion and fear, and very delirous. "Where am I?" she started to sob. "Why am I here?"

Nissa ran up to her, Falicity following, after she had removed her hood. She didn't need to frighten the girl to death.

"Hey," Nissa said, as she grabbed the girl and made sure she didn't get up. "Steady now, you need to stay in bed! You aren't well."

"Where am I?" the girl cried. "Where's the man with the skull? Where did he go?"

Falicity blinked. "Judgment," she murmered.

"There's no man here," said Nissa. "You're safe. I patched you up after your accident."

"My mom... my dad..." the girl muttered. "Gone... all gone..."

"It's okay," Nissa said, soothingly. "My name's Nissa. What's your's?"

"Sora... S-Sora Tamashi," the girl said. "Where am I?"

"You're in my basement," Nissa said. "You've been hurt by something, and I'm making sure you get fixed up. I already sewed up your cuts."

"Oh..." The girl went silent. "My parents... they're dead..."

"I'm sorry," Nissa said, sadly.

"You shouldn't be," said Sora. "They weren't... good people..."

Nissa patted the girl on the shoulder. "You need some rest," she said. "I'll get you some water and some food. Do you like meatloaf?"

Sora shrugged. "Dunno."

"I'll get you some," said Nissa. "You stay here. We can talk later." She got up and went upstairs to get the meatloaf.

Sora looked over to Falicity. "Hi," she said.

"Hi."

"What's with the wierd clothes?" Sora asked.

Falicity chuckled. "Cat costumes never really work on anyone, do they?"

"I guess not," Sora said. "I'm Sora. Who're you?"

"I'm Sonia. But you can call me Falicity."

"Okay," said Sora. "So, what's been going on since I've been out?"

Falicity sighed. "A lot of stuff."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Istas White ran down the cold, dark roads of Dellisburg, still hellbent on reaching the sound of those sirens, blaring in the distance as an emergency was taking place. She didn't know what it was, but chances were that she could help.<p>

She ran past men, women, the occasional child, and a few stray dogs. She saw beggers, drunkards, punkish looking teenagers in an alley, a man in a straight jacket walking down a dark corridor.

"Come on, Aiyana!" she shouted, as they ran down the streets. The dog barked eagerly as they neared their destination and the location of the emergency: The Mall!

(Duhn duhn duuuuhhnnnn!)

The girl and the dog ran up to the massive mall. Having lived far away from what most consider civilization, Istas had never seen a mall before. The massive super center was quite impressive to her. She let out an impressed whistle, before running to the mall. The doors of the building were burst open, and people were flooding out, screaming in fear.

Istas ran down to the mall, where the emergency was taking place. A policeman emerged from the squad car, a walkie talkie in his hand.

"Sir," Istas shouted, running towards him. "Sir! What's the problem?"

The cop looked at the girl. "Couple of freaks are tearing up the mall," he said, grimly. "We're evacuating."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Istas asked, worried.

The cop rolled his eyes. "Go home, kid," he said.

Istas' eyes narrowed. _I don't have a home now... _

"Come on, Aiyana!"

Ignoring the protests of the policeman, Istas ran into the mall, tearing her way through the frightened customers who were charging past her, Aiyana following her owner as they shot into the mall.

The shopping center was nearly empty, and silent as death. The place was a real mess, too. Chairs had been knocked over, food hastily dropped into the floor, and shopping bags left strewn about the place. Istas couldn't see anyone anywhere as she ran through the mall, wondering where the "freaks" were. She couldn't see anyone, and she felt a bit overwhelmed by how huge the building was. It was kind of amazing to her.

Then, she almost tripped over a body.

An out cold security guard was lying on the ground, his eyes wide open and his face covered in a fearful expression.

"Oh!" Istas said, leaning over to inspect the guard. "Sir? Sir are you okay?"

The guard didn't say anything. He was paralyzed.

Istas's eyes wandered down the man, examining him. He was stiff, pale, and had a...

What the...?

Istas looked at the man's neck. There was a rose sticking out of it, like an arrow or a dart.

Istas removed the rose from the man's neck. Color came back to his face, slowly. She looked at the rose. The tip had somehow been sharped to the point where it could be used to pierce human skin. Light green liquid rested on the tip.

"A rose?" she asked Aiyana. "Who would use a rose for a weapon?" She shurgged and placed the rose into her pocket. "I'll have to show this to the police."

Aiyana began to growl angrily.

"What is it girl?" Istas asked, turning around. Her eyes widened. A trio of roses shot out from the dark corner of the room, sailing towards her at a blinding speed. Istas cried out and leaped aside, narrowly avoiding the projectile flowers.

A young woman with bright red hair in a black and red dress (with matching mask) and a pair of batwings on her back flew out to her, grinning evilly as she tossed more roses. "Hey, kid!" she shouted. "Didn't you get the memo? The mall's closed!"

Istas ducked behind a bench, narrowly avoiding a few more roses.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave!" the woman shouted, laughing as she threw more roses at Istas.

Istas gritted her teeth as she heard the roses pierce the wooden bench. "So, you're the one..." she muttered to herself.

The woman laughed. "That's no way to adress Lady Rose, girl!" she said. "Looks like someone needs some manners!" she shouted as she launched more roses at her.

Istas leaped out from behind the bench, raising the palm of her hand. "Freeze!" she commanded.

A burst of cold white air erupted from her hand, shooting at Lady Rose. The villainess gave a surprised squeak and ducked , the blast narrowly missing her. "What the-?" she began. "How did-?"

Istas growled as she unleashed more ice beams, forcing Lady Rose to dodge them, flying to the side. "Stand still!" she ordered.

Lady Rose gritted her teeth. "Who are you?" she demanded, tossing more roses.

Istas froze the roses, which clattered helplessly to the ground. "I'm... I'm, uh..." She looked to the ground, seeing the frozen flora. "Ice Rose!" she said.

Lady Rose blinked. "Ice Rose?" she asked. "Wow, bet you spent all night think of that name!"

"Shut up!" the newly christened Ice Rose shouted.

Lady Rose pulled more roses. "Well," she said, "you'll have plenty of time to think of another one... In the afterlife!" She cackled as she tossed more roses at Ice Rose.

The girl ducked behind another bench, finding Aiyana there. "Stay down, girl!" she ordered.

Aiyana whined unhappily.

Ice Rose leaped out, more ice beams erupting from her palms. She missed Lady Rose and froze the electronics store behind her. "Hey!" Lady Rose shouted. "I was just about to rob that!" she roared, throwing more of her rose darts.

Ice Rose growled. "So that's what this is all about! Money!" she spat.

Lady Rose shrugged, before pulling out another rose. A black one. "Well, we have to make a living somehow, _Ice Rose_." She said the girl's name like it was an insult. She tossed the rose.

Ice Rose leaped behind a small kiosk. The black rose struck it, melting the wooden stand with its acidic poisons, leaving Ice Rose open to attack.

"Lights out!" shouted Lady Rose, tossing handfuls of roses at the girl.

Ice Rose leaped back, aiming her hands at the ground and creating an icy path. She leaped on it, sliding clumsily as Lady Rose chased after her.

Ice Rose struggled to keep freezing her path whilst dodging Lady Rose's attacks, whilst firing her own at her. It was a difficult task, seeing as how she had had little practice with the ice path before. It was much easier with ice skates.

She led the villainess to the food-court. The scent of fried foods assulted her noses, and reminded her of how hungry she was. A boxcar ride did that to you.

She dodged another flurry of roses and threw one of the food-court's tables on the ground, using it as a shield before she fired of more icy blasts. "Why don't you just give up?" she demanded. "Even if you beat me, there are ton of cops outside!" That was technically a half-life, but still...

Lady Rose laughed haughtily. "I'm so scared!" she lied. "We'll be able to get out of this dump no problem when we're done!"

Ice Rose blinked. "Wha-? We?"

"Oh, yes," Lady Rose said. "I haven't introduced you to my partner yet! Now where is... Oh, there she is!"

Ice Rose turned to see Lady Rose's partner but was assulted by a horrible screaming sound. She clutched her ears and screamed, falling back.

Another villainess appeared. She was wearing a dark purple flowing shirt and tight black leggings. Narrowing her emerald eyes, she opened her mouth and screamed again. The sonic boom knocked Ice Rose onto her back with a grunt.

The heroine pulled herself up, only to be struck by another solid wall of sound.

"You took your time, Banshee," said Lady Rose, folding her arms.

The ghost girl shurgged. "Sorry," she said, her voice a haunting whisper. She gestured to a few shopping bags she had been holding. "I was busy."

Lady Rose rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said. "Let's just get rid of little Ms. Ripoff over there and get out of here."

Banshee nodded, turning to Ice Rose, who was pulling herself off the ground, gritting her teeth angrily. Banshee opened her mouth to scream again.

Ice Rose gritted her teeth and blasted an ice beam at Banshee, freezing her mouth shut. The villainess jumped back, surprised, before trying to pull the ice off her frozen mouth.

Lady Rose growled as she pulled another black rose and tossed it at Ice Rose. "Hold still, brat!"

Ice Rose couldn't hear what the villainess had said. Her ears pounding in pain as she struggled to stand and face down the villains. She raised her hands and fired off another blast of ice at Banshee. Banshee's eyes narrowed, and she became transparent. The ice phased through her, and the piece of ice on her mouth fell off. "Big mistake," she snarled.

"What?" Ice Rose shouted. "I can't hear you!"

"Hear this!" shouted Banshee, before screaming again.

Ice Rose jumped aside as the windows of the outlet shops behind her exploded, sending crystal glass all over the place. She fired off more ice bolts, but both villainesses dodged them easily.

This is getting ridiculous, Ice Rose thought. I need to take them out, fast! But how?

Before she could think of anything, Banshee pinned her to the wall. Ice Rose cried out, struggling to escape.

"Hold still!" ordered Banshee, preparing to scream again.

Ice Rose struggled harder. A scream from about ten feet away had knocked her on her feet and made her ears feel like fore. A scream at the close range wouldn't be pleasent at all. She managed to pull of of her arms three, struggling to find anything she could use against the ghost girl. She felt her pocket, and felt something soft.

The rose!

Banshee's mouth opened up, and she inhaled. Moving quickly, Ice Rose siezed the flower, before jabbing it into Banshee's side. The ghost girl's eyes widened, and her face froze up, her mouth wide open. The venom took hold of her, paralyzing her like the security guard.

Ice Rose kicked the girl off of her, and glared at a fuming Lady Rose. "You want some more?" she asked, angrily.

Before Lady Rose could answer, she heard a loud smash. "Police!" a loud, female voice announced. "Stay where you are! We have this building surrounded!"

Lady Rose glared at Ice Rose. She flew over to Banshee and picked the paralyzed girl up. "We'll meet again!" she snapped, before raising her hand. A tornado of rose petals swirled around her, and she and her partner vanished, leaving behind petals and a very fresh scent.

Before Ice Rose could do anything, she was surrounded. Police wearing body armor and holding automatic rifles cut off every escape route for her and Aiyana. A woman with dark red hair walked foward, her own rifle drawn. "Hands in the air!" she ordered.

Ice Rose sighed and obeyed.

Dellisburg wasn't as nice as she had hoped it would be.

* * *

><p>"Oww... My jaw..." whined Banshee as she and Lady Rose returned to their hideout; a small, ugly little warehouse in the slums of town.<p>

"Stop complaining," grumbled Lady Rose. "It's your fault we had to leave! I was looking foward to a shopping spree!"

"My fault!" Banshee said, being careful not to shout and explode Rose's eardrums. "Whose rose was it that immobilized me, huh? Your's!"

"Wouldst thou both shup up!" an angry, metallic voice snarled from the corner of the dark warehouse.

Lady Rose and Banshee forze, their argument forgotten. Their employer and self proclaimed leader stalked foward, glaring at the two with her glowing eyes.

"Oh," spat Lady Rose. "Ms. Fisher. Pleasure of you to actually show up for once. How are you, fearless lea-!"

Before Rose could finish, the cyborg girl had wrapped her hand around her throat, lifting her into the air. "I would recomend keeping thee mouth shut!" she said, coldly.

"Hey, hey!" Banshee said, reaching into her bag. "Stop it! Look, I got the thing that you wanted!" she said, pulling a computer chip out of her bag.

The cyborg tossed Lady Rose to the ground. "Good," she said. "Why were thou gone so long? I recall hearing of a 'shopping spree' did I not?"

Lady Rose glared. "You're not paying us!" she snapped. "We need to get nice things somehow."

"Be quiet!" snapped the cyborg. "Be patient, and thou time shall be well spent." She held up the chip, anylyzing it. "I shall begin working on my EMP generator. Do not interrupt, or thou shalt be hurt." She stared at the duo coldly. "Hath I made myself clear?"

Lady Rose gritted her teeth. "Crystal."

* * *

><p><strong>Man I suck at updating.<strong>

**I will perservere! I will finish this story, if it kills me!**

**Thanks for those who submitted! More on the way. Now, off to work on Pokemon and ignore you all again!**

**Just kidding!**

**I hope...**


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